


The City of Dreams

by regrettableturnofevents



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Faustus might be a little ooc, I just want them to be happy, Rating will go up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2019-11-12 04:33:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 73,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18003890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/regrettableturnofevents/pseuds/regrettableturnofevents
Summary: Pre-CAOS. Zelda has run from Greendale to escape her brother and his demanding expectations. However, there is one piece of Greendale she can never outrun. Her history with Faustus always lingers and he just happens to be in New York at the same time she is...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think, this is my first ever posted fanfic, I hope you like it

Faustus sat in his hotel suite and patiently drank his coffee as he awaited the delivery of his breakfast. The window of his room provided an excellent view of the New York City skyline, and the dense snow clouds looming over it. The arrival of room service pulled him away, a nervous slip of a boy set a tray with his eggs and toast down on the desk along with a copy of The New York Times. “Apologies for the delay Lord Blackwood. Is there anything else I can get for you?”

Faustus set his coffee on the desk and slipped a tip into the boy’s hand. “No that will be all.” The waiter muttered his thanks and rushed from the room. Faustus shook his head and took a seat, picking up his coffee mug again he reached for the paper. He’d barely unfolded it before a familiar face pushed all thoughts of breakfast out of his mind. He reached to grab the desk phone and quickly called the front desk. 

“Concierge, how may I assist you?”

“This is Faustus Blackwood.”

“Yes, Lord Blackwood, how may I be of service?”

“Could you please get me a ticket to tonight’s Broadway show? As close to the stage as possible please, money is no object.”

“Yes, of course, sir.” 

He put the phone back on the cradle and flattened the paper out on the desktop, there beaming up at him was none other than Zelda Spellman. He quickly read through the article, she had been cast from her dance troupe as the star of the show. The headline sang her praises from opening night, "Grace personified with a voice like an angel." Or something far more hellish he mused. He picked up his coffee again, his eyes constantly returning to her picture. He finally peeled himself away, his breakfast was cold, but he scarfed it down and then left the room to set about finishing the day’s business as fast as possible. He had a play to catch.

Faustus returned to his hotel room as the sun went down. He quickly showered and pulled a tuxedo from the closet. Once dressed, and after he’d slicked back his hair, he glanced at the clock and rushed to put on his coat and gloves. With one last look in the mirror, he picked up his hat and cane and walked out the door. 

People milled about the theatre as Faustus made his way to the coat check. He had no desire to mingle with any of them; there was only one person he wanted to see tonight. With his coat checked, an usher handed him a program which he pocketed for later. On any other occasion, he would have splurged for a box, but he would have gladly paid triple the cost of a box for his seat right above the orchestra for the sole fact that it meant he would see her better.

He hadn’t seen her dance since their academy days, and he was very much looking forward to it. Just then a huge woman with a floppy hat and a grating snobbish voice took the available seat next to him. On a more annoying note, her ridiculous hat effectively cut off his view of the stage. He had half a mind to snatch it from her head or hex her on the spot. Only her husband’s announcement of their seats being across the aisle saved the woman from his twitching hand. Freed from the annoyance of the worst sort of mortals he pulled out the program. He eagerly flipped past the musical’s synopsis to the casting pages, searching through until he got to Spellman.

He knew it was foolish, but it didn’t stop him from reading her biography on her classical training or from chuckling at the printed age of 29 next to her name. He looked up as the orchestra took their seats. The lights dimmed, the crowd fell silent, and the music began softly as the velvet curtains opened.

There in the center of the stage was Zelda Spellman in a flowing white dress that moved weightlessly as she jumped and pirouetted.

A man quickly joined her, and they began dancing and singing a duet together. Her voice washed over him like water, the tune was light, and he watched as Zelda was tossed into the air and caught effortlessly. 

Her precise and polished movements made her the stand out of the show. Every emotion was openly displayed on her face and punctuated by her dance; she had both him and the audience entranced. Other actors and dancers entered in and out of the scenes, but he had long since stopped paying attention to the plot. There were only a few times where she was off the stage for brief costume changes, but her absence diminished the energy in the theatre. If he hadn’t known Zelda so well, he would have believed that she had used magic to make it so. 

Her last costume was a black ensemble with a starched tutu which showed off her long beautiful legs. The male dancer from the start lay dead on the stage. For the last song, Zelda faced the audience and sang to them directly. The sad melody struck the audience with so much pain and heartbreak that the theatre held its breath for fear of breaking the spell. After she hit the last note, she finally came off pointe and dramatically sobbed into the chest of the fallen cavalier. The stage lights faded, and the curtains had just closed around the scene when people throughout the theatre stood up and clapped. As the audience roared their approval, Faustus remained stunned in his seat, eyes never leaving the spot where the curtains had closed around Zelda. Finally, minutes later, he came to his feet like a half-dead man and joined in the gratuitous applause. 

The curtains opened again, and all the actors came out for the curtain call, Zelda and her stage partner were front and center. Her smile as big as the day she had graduated from the academy. Curiously, seeing her so happy had put a large smile on his own face. Roses began to rain onto the stage. Thinking quickly, he conjured a densely petaled white flower and made it fall directly at her feet. Her waving slowed as she caught sight of it. As she bowed and picked up the flower her smile faltered a bit, but she quickly composed herself. The actors walked off after a final bow, but she took the flower with her, lifting it to her nose to smell it. His last glimpse of her was of a small smile on her face and if he didn’t know better a small bounce to her step that wasn’t there when she had walked out. 

The theatre goers began to filter out, Faustus made his way to the side of the stage where he found a young usher, handing him a white bouquet that seemingly appeared out of thin air. “Would you give this to Ms. Spellman for her excellent performance for me please?” He was sure that there would be a pile-up of flowers in her dressing room, and she had rightfully earned all of them and more, but the thought that any mortal man was arrogant enough to believe themselves worthy of her attention irritated him. 

He retrieved his belongings and stepped outside, pulling his collar up against the wind. Instead of heading to the taxi line he turned and ducked into the alley beside the theatre heading to the building's rear. A door marked as a non-public entrance was tucked away, he leaned against a brick wall across from it and closed his eyes to relive her performance. Her fluidity and her ability to bring music to life was enchanting, to say the least, he remembered her being a marvelous dancer, but he didn’t recall it stirring him so. Not to say anything of her voice, the Dark Lord had certainly given her a gift. Her solos in the satanic choir had nothing on this; the entire musical had been a showcase of her. The old metal door creaked on its hinges, and there she was. Bundled up in a heavy fur coat, legs bare, and dainty feet in tall black heels. Her hair still pulled into the painfully tight bun from the performance. She looked exquisite but what caught his eye were the flowers in her arms. His bouquet. She hadn’t seen him yet but smiled down at the blooms, smelling them. The card that had been attached to them was clasped in her gloved hand and she read through it again, sighing out his name. He coughed to draw her attention to his presence, “Yes?” 

She faced him with her mouth parted a bit in shock. He walked up to her. “Faustus.” she didn’t seem to believe he was actually there.

“Yes?” he repeated. A joyful smile lit up her face, which she quickly quelled and batted her eyes at him,

“Well, aren’t you going to kiss me?” He put both of his hand on her face and tilted her head up. Her eyes were already closed, but he paused to stare at the face he had only seen in his dreams for so long. Only then did he finally place his lips on hers, he deepened it slowly trying to convey how much he had missed her. 

She was surprised at the tenderness of the kiss, but she loved it. His lips were exactly how she remembered though at the moment she didn’t know how she had gone this long without them. She raised a hand to his face pulling him to her and preventing him from ending it just yet. Her body relaxed into his kiss and the flowers went tumbling to the ground. She let go, and he pulled back, her legs felt weak, she could blame it on just finishing a long ballet performance, but she knew it was him. Her face was still in his hands, and she gazed up at him through her eyelashes.

“Miss me?” he taunted. Considering her body had already betrayed her she saw no point in lying.

“Yes.” she breathed.

“Good.” He kneeled to retrieve the flowers from the snowy cobblestones and presented them to her. She cradled them in her arm, 

“They’re beautiful.” He smiled as he stood and motioned to walk. She linked her free arm in his, not caring about where they were going. As they strolled along, she looked up at him, taking him in. She was probably smiling like a fool, but she didn’t really care. 

That look almost did him in. He was watching her study him from the corner of his eye. It was rare that she was this open. He probably should have apparated them to their destination or at least hailed a cab, but he didn’t want to lose this. Around them, it began to snow softly. 

Despite the fluffy flakes, Zelda didn’t feel the cold. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with her, it's not as though they hadn’t gone longer stretches without seeing one another. Though, it had certainly been a long 10 months, so she decided to ignore her misgivings about acting a fool. 

Unfortunately, their destination came into view and as much as he wanted to keep walking, they ought to get inside before the snow picked up. He stopped them across the street from the restaurant and reached out a hand for her flowers. Her eyebrow went up in confusion but dutifully handed them over. The instant they touched his fingers they disappeared. Her mouth opened to protest. “Don’t worry you can have them back after dinner.”

“Well aren’t we a little presumptuous.” She remarked. He gave her a wicked grin, she pursed her lips to prevent herself from smiling as well. She had missed this. His hand was still held out and she placed her hand in his, using him for balance as they crossed the icy street. He led them in, the warmth of the restaurant quickly sent the chill out of her legs. Oddly, he hadn’t let go of her hand. They were never the type to show any form of affection in front of others, and it quickly had her feeling uncomfortable. She looked down at their joined hands and wriggled hers out. She moved to adjust her hair, forgetting it was pulled back and there was nothing to fidget with. 

Faustus missed the warmth of her hand in his, though he wasn’t particularly surprised. She hated public displays of any kind let alone romantic ones. Faustus pulled off his gloves and stepped up to the hostess. “Faustus Blackwood.” 

“Good evening, sir, table for two right this way.” 

Zelda’s embarrassment dissipated and she side eyed him the hint of a smirk tugging at her lips. “Presumptuous indeed.” She murmured so only he would hear. They followed the hostess back to one of the more private tables, Faustus turned and ordered a bottle of champagne while she undid her coat. He pulled the coat off of her shoulders and gave it to the hostess quickly divesting himself of his own. The restaurant had noticeably quieted despite it being nearly full, and when he turned back to Zelda he saw why. She was in a burgundy sheath dress with off the shoulder sleeves and a long string of pearls knotted around her neck. The candlelight from the table glowed on her bare shoulders. His eyes raked approvingly over her frame. Dancing certainly did the body good. Zelda was fiddling with her pearl earrings pretending to be unaware of the attention she was drawing from the other patrons. In actuality she was basking in only Faustus’s reaction, she could care less about the mortals. Evidently satisfied with her earrings she nonchalantly sat down. Faustus remained staring but she was faking interest in the satin table cloth rather than acknowledging his appreciative gaze. He quickly recovered himself and sat down across from her.

“Oh, and I am the presumptuous one?” he questioned still admiring her in the dress. It accentuated her collarbones and slim waist. She looked ravishing. She looked at him finally and flashed a smile. He lowered his tone “It’s a good thing I waited outside instead of coming to find you in your dressing room, otherwise we never would have made it to dinner.” Her smile turned wicked,

“A shame, I’m famished.” This woman was going to be the death of him. The glint in her eye was anything but innocent, and he considered saying to hell with it and forgoing dinner anyways. While he was deliberating the waiter returned with a bottle and two glasses. He poured them each a flute and set the bottle down in a bucket of ice on their table, and promptly left. Zelda glanced at the bottle “A Dom Perignon? My my what are we celebrating?” 

“You.” His simple answer left her a little lost for words, he picked up his glass and held it out to her in a toast. She picked up her flute and clinked it against his with much less poise than she had intended. Her chest flushed at her lack of composure, she downed half of the glass, the champagne blissfully cool. He chuckled at her, “Nervous Spellman?” she narrowed her eyes at him in mock annoyance. 

The waiter returned with a pair of menus, but Faustus held up a hand, “Two orders of steak au poivre, medium rare if you please. The house salads will not be necessary.” The waiter quickly hurried on his way.

She laughed at him, “it seems someone is a little impatient.”

“What, were you going to order something else, my little carnivore?” He knew what she liked that was for sure, but teasing him was much more fun than admitting it. 

He took a drink and let his eyes roam down her body over the rim of the glass. While he enjoyed the view, she looked around the restaurant, despite the secluded location of their table she still caught the stares of a few gawkers. A tad annoying but gaping mortals were nothing new. The restaurant itself was decorated in such a way that it dripped wealth without being ostentatious. Its luxurious interior was much to her liking, she didn’t know how she had never heard of it before. As if reading her thoughts “it doesn’t have a name, and no one knows who owns it or even who the cook is.” 

She turned back to him, “how very mysterious”

“It’s the perfect place to enjoy anonymity, though in that dress you may have blown that one for us.” 

She hummed her agreement. They fell into a comfortable silence just looking at one another, trying to commit the moment to memory. She enjoyed seeing the effect her appearance was having on him, but she was also doing some admiring of her own, in albeit less obvious ways. He cut a trim figure in his tuxedo, the thin satin lapels were very on trend, and the white vest underneath accentuated his tapered waist. His bowtie was still straight despite the evening’s events, and she was very much looking forward to untying it later. Before she could go too much further down that line of thinking their steaks arrived still sizzling on the plates. Faustus reached over and refilled their glasses. Zelda cut off her first bite and nearly moaned when the flavorful morsel touched her tongue. The pepper was pungent and the meat juicy, it was perfect. 

Faustus had decided to wait on starting his meal preferring to watch her instead, and the show he was getting did not disappoint. He took a sip of champagne, a celebration of her indeed. 

She opened her eyes to his blue ones watching her like a hawk, she lowered her lashes, suddenly bashful of her reaction. She motioned her fork at his untouched meal. “Not hungry?”

“Oh, I am starving.” Though he looked to be a man who was hungry for something that food would never quench, without breaking their eye contact he cut off a piece and chewed it. It was indeed delicious. She rolled her eyes and resumed eating, he tore his eyes away from her and dug into his own meal, his desire for her giving way to the fact that he was actually quite famished. She took the last bite of steak and used it to absorb the remaining gravy on her plate, popping it into her mouth. She hummed in contentment and filled up her glass again, sipping on it while Faustus continued to eat.

“The note was unnecessary by the way, who but you would have sent me a bouquet of white ranunculus flowers?” He swallowed the bite in his mouth,

“I can’t be the only man who knows they are your favorite.”

He wasn’t the only man she had ever told but he was the only one that remembered, his gift for remembering the details of her life never ceased to amaze her.

He picked up his fork again and grinned at her, “besides hearing you moan my name aloud in the alley was music to my ears. It nearly brought me to my knees.” She slowly shook her head at him but couldn’t stop her lips from spreading into a smile. He said it so casually and yet there was something in his tone that gave her pause. It didn’t sound the way he usually delivered lines to get her into bed, it rang hollow like he was just acting the cad because he was supposed to. She took another sip, biting her lip. However, her mind was quickly distracted by his mouth closing around his last piece of steak, chewing it slowly, his piercing eyes not leaving hers. She shouldn’t be this turned on by watching him eat. She took a deep breath and brought the flute to her lips again looking away to compose herself. 

He poured the last of the champagne into his glass before leaning back in his seat “I was shocked to finally find you by receiving my copy of the Times this morning.”

“Um, yes the editor caught the show last week and evidently liked it.” She tried to downplay it, though she had been enormously pleased to see the article herself, proud that she had produced something the city loved as much as she did.

He almost rolled his eyes; the woman could end the war and would play it off as a small thing. He did raise his eyebrows “Liked it? I’d say he was completely enamored with both it and you.” 

“Uh oh sounds like someone is a little jealous.”

“Jealous? Of a mortal? That is preposterous. I just don’t like sharing what is mine.” 

She quirked an eyebrow, “What’s yours?” He had the decency to look shameful of his slip. She tightened her lips into a smirk and reached across the table to still the tapping of his fingers. “Well why don’t we get out of here and you can take what is so rightfully–” she leaned towards him and lowered her voice, “–yours.” 

His eyes darkened and he didn’t look away from her as he put several hundred-dollar bills on the table. He reached for her hand as he stood to pull her up. She wasn’t about to let go this time. An attendant grabbed their coats and his hat and cane. The young man tried to hold Zelda’s coat up for her to slip on but Faustus snatched it from him so he could wrap her up himself. She chuckled at his possessiveness and glanced apologetically at the boy. Faustus was quick to get his own coat on and after handing a few bills to the clerk they walked out onto the street. 

Flurries swirled around them as they walked down the sidewalk. The few people they passed all had their collars turned up and their heads bent against the wind. They hadn’t even gotten two blocks from the restaurant when Faustus turned and grabbed her hips, pulling her to him. He hungrily kissed her and walked her backwards until she was pressed up against a dark store window. Her leather-gloved hands made their way around his neck and pulled his face level with hers. His mouth moved roughly against hers and she eagerly complied. She loved getting him unhinged, he was always so stiff that anything untoward like this rarely occurred outside of closed doors. The kiss turned into more of a competition to establish dominance while they pressed up against one another. Finally, in need of air Zelda pulled back and leaned her head back against the glass, Faustus braced himself on the storefront as he bent to kiss and nip along her neck and jaw while she tried to catch her breath. When he had seemingly gotten his fix, he stepped back and offered his arm again, which she gladly accepted. The soot that coated the city had gotten onto the back of her coat. With a quick flick of his wrist, the fur was white once again. She leaned against him keeping her hand in his and wrapping the other around his bicep, her head gently resting on his shoulder. Sated for the moment, he couldn’t help the small smile on his face as they walked along. 

He turned them towards the street and stopped on the curb and raised his free arm to hail the cab that was ambling toward them. As it stopped, she reluctantly relinquished her hold on him to enter. Faustus got in beside her and gave the address to the driver and then slipped an arm around her shoulders, she slid closer to him and kissed him lightly. Putting her hand in his once more.

Faustus had to say one benefit of mortal transportation was getting moments like these, she was close enough that her perfume was wafting into his nose, the smell like a drug. In the darkness of the cab, he felt her head fall onto his shoulder, both seemed content to pass the ride in the silence of each other’s company.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to the hotel room we go for a very long night. Plot what plot? Please enjoy and let me know what you think, hopefully, I did right by you guys.

The cab pulled up to his hotel, breaking the silent spell. Faustus paid the driver and quickly exited out into the snow to open her door. After helping her out, she intertwined their arms again, and they stepped through the glass doors. Despite the late hour, they were greeted by a cheery desk attendant. Faustus hurried them around a corner to the empty elevator lobby. He pushed the up button and pressed her against the gold-plated doors. His lips moved roughly against hers as his hands undid the fastenings of her coat. The luxurious fur was tantalizing beneath his fingertips, but it had nothing on the feel of her skin. 

Once the coat fell open, he grabbed her hips and pressed a kiss behind her ear, his hot lips moving down her jaw. A bell rang and the doors fell away, she let out an involuntary squeak of alarm, but his hands firmly kept her from falling. His voice was husky in her ear, “You aren’t allowed to fall for me yet Spellman.” Her eyes taunted him,

“You wish,” she purred, he forcefully guided her to the elevator wall and reached behind him to press a button, never taking his eyes off her. A few of her strawberry locks had come free of her bun and her red lips were in a big smile, damn she was beautiful. She leaned against the wall waiting for him, but instead, he stepped back and just took in her appearance, enjoying seeing her perfection marred by his ministrations. He looked back into her eyes, her naked lust turning them his favorite shade of green. No other color in the world could match it; like it was just for him. He lifted her hand to his lips before turning it to kiss her wrist.

The softness of his kiss was in sharp contrast to the hard kisses he had been pressing to her neck but somehow these were even more arousing. He suddenly pulled her away from the wall towards him, she desperately missed the gilded wall’s support; she no longer trusted her feet under her.

His eyes finally left hers and he stooped to kiss along her shoulders and collar bones. She stretched her neck wanting more. His tongue left flushed skin behind, her breath kept hitching and the sound was music to his ears. Her head sank back, a moan escaping lips. The elevator bell sounded as they slowed to a stop. He stood to finally capture her lips. 

She looked a tad unsteady so as he kissed her perfect red lips his hands smoothed down her backside until he was cupping her ass and pressing her hips to his. When the door opened he led them out and raised his hand until it rested on the small of her back, though still considerably lower than would ever be socially acceptable.

The hallway was blissfully empty, he still looked perfectly poised, but she was sure she was the picture of debauchery. She slipped her arm into his coat and around his waist, leaning on him more than she strictly needed to. He stopped them at the door of an executive suite.

She turned her head into him when he pulled out the key, she was practically purring in his ear. Her warm breath, the scent of her perfume, and to top it off she was giving him an excellent view of her cleavage, it was all very distracting. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had to concentrate on something as much as getting this blasted door open. The key finally turned, and he practically shoved her in. The door flew shut as he threw her into it, her eyes flashed at him.

She barely had time to register the sound of the lock engaging before his hips were against hers. He grabbed both her hands and held them above her head, resuming sucking and biting the exposed flesh on her shoulder. She moaned and wiggled under him trying to get closer. He placed a quick binding on her wrists pinning them to the door. He knelt in front of her and ran his hands up her calves, attempting to bunch up her dress. “Did you have to wear something so tight dearest?” 

“What and make it easy on you? I think not.” She retorted, smirking down at him. A finger grazing her clit through her underwear wiped the grin off her face. He began running his nails feather-light along the delicate skin of her inner thighs. The contact had her shifting and squirming, straining against the holding spell, desperate to touch him. He gazed up at her, the bun was no longer neat, and strands of hair framed her face. Her eyes had closed, and her plump lips were parted in a soundless sigh. He slowed his advance up her leg, enjoying the sweet sound of her increasingly uneven breathing. His fingers darted across the lace of her panties again before he stood. One snap and the spell ended, he immediately reached to catch her.

She hadn’t even realized that she’d been solely relying on the binding to remain upright. Not that she was complaining she was happy to have an excuse to be wrapped in his arms. She admonished her foolish thinking, get yourself together Zelda, it hasn’t been that long since you’ve seen him. She got her feet back under her and dropped her shoulders letting her coat fall to the ground, her hands went to his and pushed it off him. 

He halted her advance by grabbing her hips and turning them so that she was against the back of a settee. He lifted her hands and spun her, so her rear was pressed against him, she started playfully grinding into him, evidently enjoying being manhandled again. “Bend over.” He growled. She obediently leaned on the loveseat, the dress stretched over her ass and hips and he ran a finger along the gold zipper approvingly.

His hands brushed away the stray strands of hair that had fallen from her bun. Then she felt him press his lips to the base of her neck, she sighed at the soft touches. His hands found the zipper and he lightly nipped at the exposed skin of her back while leisurely undoing the dress. His lips and tongue trailed down her spine with each inch. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be moving but the sensation was too pleasurable to not arch into him. He planted a kiss just above the lace band of her panties. She desperately wanted to turn around.

With one last tug he let the dress fall to the floor, she wasted no time in stepping out of it and turning to face him. Her hands reached up and her hands deftly undid the bun, shaking her curls loose. His eyes devoured her nearly naked form as she moved. He started to pull off his tuxedo jacket and unbutton the vest, but she smacked his hand away when he reached for his tie. “No, no.” she scolded. “That’s mine” her voice a possessive growl. She came closer to continue undoing the tuxedo vest, throwing it to the ground. She closed the remaining space between them so that he felt her breasts through his shirt. He moved to place his hands behind her hips, but she swatted them away. She tilted her head so that her ruby lips were just above his collar “No touching” she murmured silkily. She teasingly pulled at his tie, undoing the knot slowly. His hands ached to reach up and hurry her along but knew that would only play into her hand. He felt the tie come loose and begin slipping through his collar.

She knew he was desperately trying not to touch her; his hands were practically twitching. She yanked the tie the rest of the way out of his collar and tossed it aside. A coy smile spread across his face as her breasts bounced.

The smile he got in return was devilish, she kicked off her heels and licked her lips as she moved to kiss him. Centimeters from his lips she danced out of reach. He lunged to grab her and finish what she started and found he couldn’t. She giggled as she looked at him over her shoulder. Her long hair flowed down her back and she was giving him a generous view of her ass, he seethed at his inability to bring her closer. She continued to walk away from him, sauntering on her toes and swaying her hips. He growled in frustration, he tried to think of what spell she could have bound him with that would render him completely immobile. He needed to find a way to break out of this, he needed to have his hands on her. A safe couple of paces away from him she ran her fingers through her hair. Maybe it was his imagination, but she moved like she had slowed time itself. Her body was so fluid, her toned muscles rippled as she danced for him. He groaned when she spun to face him, this must be what mortal hell was like.

She nearly broke the binding at the sight of him, every muscle corded up trying to pull free of her little spell, he was panting with the effort. Those gorgeous eyes of his were animalistic. Now, this was Faustus unhinged. Her smile widened as she traced a finger down the curve of her legs. Her movements remained languid, taunting him. The exaggerated sway of her hips as she strutted closer drew his eyes. She was going to pay for this later, she couldn’t wait. At last, she stepped into him, well within arm’s reach were he able to move, with just a light touch to his cheek he groaned. “Zelda, I swear to–”

“Ah ah ah” she scolded, placing a quick peck to his lips to silence him before turning again. The fabric of his dress pants was pushing against her back drawing out an unseen smirk. His strained breath was tickling her neck, but she just tossed her curls over her shoulder and twitched her hips as she stepped away. His deep exhale behind her was almost a moan. A smile played on her lips as she reached her arms out lengthening her body before trailing her fingers along her arm and down her sides. She bent to give him a tempting view of her legs, she knew how much he loved them.

His eyes never left her hands, they touched all the places he wanted to be, sliding up and down her legs, smoothing the delicate lace of her panties. Her toned legs were so tempting and having her so near but being unable to touch was excruciating. This teasing dance was one of the most explicit things he had ever seen and yet she remained the epitome of grace and poise. The enigma was driving him insane, he could do nothing but watch her body twist and sway. It put even her Broadway performance to shame.

She turned gracefully once more and glided back to him, drawing in close. Her self-control was crumbling rapidly and seeing him struggle against the spell was hot, but she wanted, no needed, him to touch her. She started hastily undoing his dress shirt, with half of the buttons undone she bent and marked him. The sound of his sharp intake of breath was exhilarating and she wanted more. With a bite to his neck, he could move again.

He pushed her back sending her reeling until her backside met the settee again. Ripping off the remainder of the shirt off, he cleared the distance between them in a single step. His lips crashed to hers as his hands ravaged down her body. Her underwear was the first to go, he pushed the lace past her hips, so they fell to her feet. His nails dug into her ass as he lifted her onto the thin back of the loveseat. Her hands went to his shoulders for balance while he hastily undid his belt and trousers. She ran her fingers down his muscular chest and leaned in, so her hot breath was on his neck. “Now tie me up and take me.” He shook his head at her, chuckling darkly.

He lifted her, her ankles locked behind him and dug into his back. Her hips began rolling against him while she moaned in his ear. After so long without, having her on him again felt like ecstasy, and she was going to make quick work of him. In a few strides, he made it to the bedroom and threw her unceremoniously onto the bed. Her expectant eyes looked up at him as she reclined on her elbows. He conjured a blindfold placing a knee between her legs while he tied it on. After she could no longer see he crushed his lips to hers before pulling back completely. A disappointed pout formed on her face as her head turned to search for him. 

The sound of him kicking off his shoes gave him away. She sat up, reaching for him. Her hands met the waistband of his boxers, she pulled them down to free his erection. Oh, his ever-impatient Zelda. He uttered a quick Latin phrase and she slid up the bed, her hands now tied to the bed frame with a black rope. Ha laughed at her squeak of protest. He wanted to pay her back for her little dancing stunt, but she looked too beautiful lying there at his mercy to not want to worship her. He finished getting undressed and bent to kiss her foot. He began moving up her leg at a leisurely pace.

His light kisses were so soft on her skin but at the same time his hand was squeezing and dragging his nails up her other leg. The contrast was exhilarating, and she ached for him to hurry up, though after teasing him as she had she reckoned this was about what she deserved. Blissful penance. 

She was already beginning to writhe under him, he planted a kiss to her inner thigh and her head pressed back into the pillows. The corners of his lips twitched at seeing the pout on her lips, he reached up to kiss it away. As he pulled away her neck arched up to bring him back. He gave her another quick peck before moving his lips to her hip bone. A whining moan escaped her, and he nipped at the skin before moving lower. He ran the tip of his tongue around her clit, she spread her legs further spurring him on. He dipped her tongue into her experimentally, she was already practically dripping. He swallowed his first taste of her after so long, relishing it. He delved back in, lapping at her walls and playing with her folds. As his tongue flicked in and out of her, she started rocking her hips urging him deeper. He dug his fingers into her thighs and pressed them to the mattress,

Under the blindfold, her eyes were pressed shut. Watching him pleasure her was always stimulating but not being able to see him heightened the feeling of his tongue in her and the gentle scratch of the day’s stubble on her skin. She moaned out his name feeling heat begin to pool in her abdomen. She felt the mattress shift as he adjusted himself before he began to suck on her clit and the bundle of nerves there, barely managing to prevent crying out by biting her lip.

Between her legs, he could have smiled at the strangled noise that came out that pretty mouth of hers. He looked up at her, she was absolutely radiant as her head twisted back. He slowed down his motions, sending his tongue deeper while his lips continued to toy with her. A gasp fell from her lips as her body involuntarily arched into him.

She curled her toes into the sheet trying to keep herself from twisting her hips. She cursed the talent of his mouth, she was going to finish if he kept this up and she wanted him inside of her. “Faustus” she had a sharp intake of breath as he hummed in response, the vibration practically taking her over the edge. “I need you. Now” she begged.

The strained notes in her voice were sweet in his ears. While he desperately wanted to comply and bury himself in her, he figured making her come by his mouth only was fair repayment for that show earlier. He sped things back up, circling her bundle of nerves, feeling her walls begin to quiver. Her legs tensed under his hands, and with a loud cry, his mouth was flooded with the salty taste of her. He gently licked her up cherishing it all. His fingers rubbed small circles into her thighs listening as her uneven breathing began to slow. With one last kiss to her thigh, he moved so that he was above her. She had gone limp. He pushed the blindfold off her head.

She blinked at the onslaught of light before she saw him. Well, he certainly looked thoroughly pleased with himself she thought. He put his knee between her still spread legs and leaned in to kiss her forehead, she reached up to catch the kiss on her lips instead. He smiled against her and ended the spell holding her hands in place. Her tied wrists looped around his neck and dragged him down onto her. Despite still feeling the receding waves of her orgasm she murmured in his ear “I still need you”

He chuckled lightly, the woman was truly insatiable. Nibbling her ear, he said, “I’m going to give you a minute.” She made a noise akin to a growl but relaxed into the pillows anyways. He rolled off her and propped himself up on the bed. He brought her hands closer so that he could untie the rope, smiling at her pink wrists. Unable to help himself he moved over and kissed her cheek while he put his hands to work playing with her breasts. He rolled them enjoying the way they fit into his hands, his reward was her pleased sigh. Her nipples hardened against his palms and she arched her chest off the bed to move closer to him. Leaning down he kissed one of her peaks, a soft moan reached his ears while she ran her fingers through his hair. He teased her with his teeth and felt her nails on his scalp. He gave her breast one last nip and lifted his head to look at her, there were those aroused green eyes again. “Ready?”

Her eyes sparkled, “Always.” He rolled his eyes but trailed his hand down her stomach, she felt his finger on her entrance carefully checking she was wet. He licked her off his finger before positioning himself fully between her legs. At last, he inserted himself inside of her, finally feeling him took her breath away. She saw him stop himself from gasping aloud. His face was that of pure bliss, but she felt cheated. She wanted to hear him.

His eyes opened and caught her stare, her chin was tilted looking like she was about to devour him. Her blazing eyes promised sin. Once he felt her body adjust, he began slowly thrusting into her, torturing them both. Her legs clamped around him and she rolled her hips into him, drawing him deeper inside of her, eliciting a guttural moan from deep in his throat. It put a peculiar satisfied smile on her lips.

As his hips pounded her at a grueling pace, he walked his hands up the bed until he loomed over her. She was attempting to meet his gaze, but her eyelids fluttered with each thrust. He balanced himself on one hand while the other went back to her breast, toying with it. Her head fell back to the mattress as her moans grew louder. “Faustus” she begged, aching for him to speed up. With each thrust, his hunger for her was growing stronger than his desire to torment her. He released her nipple and braced himself on his forearms pounding into her faster. Her breath caught. “Finally.” She growled in his ear. She was bucking into every thrust and his climax was coming fast. He pumped harder, the sinful little noises she was making under him were not helping his case.

Her nails dug into his back while he rammed against her. A fire was pooling in her belly when he cried out her name and bit down on her shoulder. She felt him come inside her, and with a few more quick thrusts, pleasure rippled through her body. He flopped down beside her and they both lay there. Their heavy breathing the only sound in the room. His hand reached out to find hers and pulled it to his lips. 

After a few minutes of exhausted bliss, her breathing returned to something resembling normal and she pulled herself up by the bed frame. She procured her cigarette holder and a cigarette. He had been admiring the way her sweaty skin was catching the lamplight when he realized he didn’t smell the acrid smoke of her cigarette. He sat up beside her, “Aren’t you going to light that?” Her eyes moved to the cigarette and sighed,

“No.” there was a hint of annoyance in her voice. “I’ve had to pretty much give it up for dance though I desperately miss it.”

“It's not as if it will affect you like it would the other girls.” She heaved a big sigh before responding.

“No, but people ask enough questions about my seemingly unending career.” He plucked the cigarette from its holder and lit it with a flick of his fingers. He pulled a long drag on it, blowing the smoke through his nose. Now it was her turn to give him a questioning look, “Since when do you smoke?”

“I don’t, nicotine was never my vice. That title belongs to you alone.” She was a little taken aback, she couldn’t think of the last time he had flirted with her so openly. It pained her a bit to admit how much she liked it, though it still didn’t answer the question of why he was holding her cigarette.

“But I do hate to see you denied anything.” He continued. Well, she had an evening’s worth of proof that that wasn’t necessarily true, but she let it slide. He puffed on the cigarette again and drew her to him. As her tongue entered his mouth, she tasted the sweet tobacco and smoke, but truthfully, she enjoyed the taste of him more. Though she’d never tell him that. He broke off the kiss, but he had awoken the addicted part of her brain. She wanted more, she stretched to grab the cigarette from him, but he held it just out of reach, teasing her. “Easy tiger.” Her eyes narrowed and she lunged for it, but he still held it too far away and she just ended up crashing to his chest. She felt his deep laughter as it reverberated through him. It was an odd sensation but not an unpleasant one. Recognizing this wasn’t a battle she could win she gave up her quest for the cigarette. She laced her fingers together and settled on his chest. She just lay there watching him as he lightly smoked the rest of it. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of the smoke mixed with the salty smell of sex.

He unsettled her content perch when he leaned over to stub out the cigarette in the ashtray. But when he lay back, she returned. Her sparkling eyes continued to observe him, he wanted to know what was running through that pretty little head of hers.

Her eyes roamed across his face, truthfully, he hadn’t changed much since she had last seen him, but there was something in his eyes that was different. “So, what brings you to New York?” she asked casually. 

“What I couldn’t come just to see you?”

She laughed at that “Not that you couldn’t just that you wouldn’t.” She stated it matter-of-factly and didn’t seem to be at all hurt by that statement. Though he’d be lying if he said her words hadn’t wounded him slightly, did she really think he cared about her so little? 

“I am here on business for my father and to run away.” And hopefully, run into you he almost added.

A mocking smile graced her features, “Oh dear, who are your parents trying to force you into matrimony with now?”

“Someone named Mildred, evidently she was a few years behind you at the Academy.”

She thought for a moment. “She was an interesting harrowing if I recall correctly, she’s from a good family but I would never call the two of you compatible

He looked at her more closely now, his eyes softening at how casually she had just admitted to torturing another witch. For some reason, he found how brazen she was about who she was and the things she had done incredibly endearing. She moved to get off his chest, but he reached up and held her in place. Her eyes searched him quizzically, but she stayed put. He was enjoying the feeling of her being so close. Theirs was not a relationship that typically allowed for anything akin to cuddling after sex, they moved too quickly for it. For now, he just wanted to look at her and memorize this moment so that he could take it with him when he eventually had to go back and deal with his responsibilities at home.

She was so unabashed of her nakedness. She never pulled a sheet around her after they had sex nor did she rush to dress if she wasn’t already late to something else. The feeling of her soft breasts on his abdomen was exquisite for the distinct reason that it wasn’t sexual. He gazed on her hair which was more tightly curled than usual thanks to the bun it had been wrapped up in. He long locks framed her face, and the effect it had, was dare he say angelic. Somehow her lipstick had survived the evening thus far and her red lips were parted in thought while she was no doubt trying to figure out what he was doing. He smiled lightly, today had been one of the first days he had felt genuine joy in a very long time. 10 months to be exact. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. In a hoarse voice barely above a whisper he said, “I missed you, Zelda.” He was surprised that she smiled instead of smirked. 

She leaned in and caressed his cheek, tilting his head so she could kiss him properly. She crawled up him, her long smooth legs rubbing against him as she moved to straddle him. She bit his bottom lip and pulled as she began to move above him. He felt himself harden and effortlessly lifted her onto him. Without missing a beat, she began to ride him faster. Her breasts hit his chest rhythmically and his hands moved to massage her hips and pull her down further. She sloppily ended their kiss and shifted to his neck, he felt her tongue as she kissed and sucked along his collar bones. Her silky curls brushed against him as he watched her strawberry head move.

Holding the difficult position over him while maintaining their pace was zapping her stamina, her thighs burned but the friction between them felt too good to let up. She pushed herself up so that she sat upright, relieving some of the strain. He bucked harder against her. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and looked down at him through her dark eyelashes.

His eyes were dark, and she knew he was close. She practically ground her hips to a halt, slowing their pace to an agonizing crawl. She bent to whisper in his ear “Payback.” She sat back up and he mentally groaned at the truly wicked expression playing on her features. Her hands caressed the contours of his abdomen while she tried to control her own drive begging her to go faster. She shut her eyes and just focused on the feel of him inside her. 

The slowed pace had heightened the friction between their bodies, and even she started to struggle with keeping a consistent rhythm, this was going to be an exercise in self-discipline. His mounting desire was manifesting in his eyes and it was doing her in. He thrust into her trying to quicken their pace. She ground into him pinning his hips to the bed. She nipped at his lip, punishing and toying with him simultaneously. 

His eyes burned with intensity, two could play at that game. He removed his hands from their task of bruising their likeness into her hips and ran them up her sides. Goosebumps rose along her skin at his featherlight touch. He pinched and pawed at her nipples causing her to arch backwards. Her flushed face was contorted in pleasure and with her hair tumbling down her back she looked wild. She increased their pace and he squeezed her breasts as a reward. Her head lolled to the side while her eyes screwed shut. Her hips pounded against him, growing more desperate and he eagerly matched her pace. She had him teetering on the edge and he moaned out her name, her eyes opened at the sound of his voice. They were feral and bright. There’s my girl. She came brilliantly and slumped forward catching herself on his chest. Feeling her spasm around him finally took him over the edge and he came inside her again. 

Zelda was in blissful agony too exhausted to move. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her sweaty hairline. She tilted her head up to kiss him languidly never opening her eyes. They lay like that catching their breath. Her legs burned and she was slipping into sleep on his chest. He eventually rolled her off of him and stood up from the bed and walked to the suite’s bathroom. He turned the bathtub taps on and went back to the bedroom where Zelda lay stretched out, half asleep. He smiled at the image of her so vulnerable. He hooked an arm under her knees, gently scooping her into his arms. She uncharacteristically nuzzled into his neck, spreading his smile even further. He carefully set her into the bath, watching her lounge into the deep tub for a moment. He left her there and headed back to the bedroom. With a flick of his wrist, he procured a set of nightclothes for her, then he rang the front desk to have the sheets changed.

She called out his name in a sleepy voice. He reentered the bathroom and she slid forward so he could step in behind her. Her soft body leaning against him in the hot water was incredibly sensual. He would have to remember to do this again when they weren’t both completely spent. 

Her head settled on his shoulder “hello” she murmured, a tired smile on her face. He kissed her hair in response and picked up a sponge to begin lathering soap onto her chest and shoulders. She looked over her shoulder at him as he moved her to soap her back, wriggling her bum against him before she exhaled deeply and sank back into his chest.

“Zelda, your legs?” Instead of lifting them up, she took the sponge from him and balanced her foot on the edge of the tub. He could do nothing but stare as water ran down her skin. She was toying with him again, and if he didn’t love those legs so much, he would have punished her for it. That being said he reached around her so that they both had a hand on the sponge. He took control of it and started lathering her inner thigh in long strokes that had her sighing into his neck. Finally, he moved the sponge under the water across her lower abdomen. Her hand fell away from the sponge and her head sank back to his chest. Knowing neither of them were ready for another bout he moved on. This time she obediently lifted her leg, content to remain relaxed against him. Once he finished her leg slid lifelessly back into the tub. While the water was still warm, he hurriedly washed himself off, careful not to disturb her dozing. When he was done, he kissed her earlobe and then her shoulder and neck. With a deep inhale she awoke, a satisfied smile on her lips. He gently pushed her forward so he could climb out. 

As he finished toweling off, he caught her gaze in the mirror. Any trace of exhaustion was gone; she was watching him like a cat with a mouse. He wrapped the towel around his waist and held up another for her.

Watching her step from the bath was a religious experience. Water streamed down her body; she looked like grace incarnate. She smiled prettily upon noticing his reaction, knowingly looking down at his towel which wasn’t concealing anything. She took the proffered towel from him and made a show of drying off as he leaned against the sink. 

Once she was finished, she dropped her towel to the floor and padded up to him. She kissed his lips while her hands made quick work of his towel. She kneeled in front of him, never breaking eye contact. She took him in her mouth, just the lightest touch of her lips and his head fell back. She began working him back and forth, her sinful tongue circling his tip. His hands were white knuckled as he grabbed the countertop. Faustus’ breath hitched as her hand snaked up his leg to cup his balls. She licked his length before taking him entirely in her mouth again. After the long night they'd had, that was all it took. “Fucking hell Zelda” he rasped. He sagged forward and used the sink to keep himself from falling. She watched him as she swallowed. She carefully licked him clean and stood up before him, pleased. He grasped her hand and they walked out of the bathroom.

She was greeted with a nicely remade bed and a short silk robe, she gratefully tied it around herself as he pulled on a pair of boxers. They climbed into bed, each so exhausted that they could barely manage it. Faustus took a chance and laid out his arm in an open invitation, she crawled across the mattress to rest her head on his chest, wrapping an arm around his middle “Good night Zelda.”

“Goodnight Faustus.” And then they both immediately fell into a deep slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

The room was still dark when she opened her eyes. Sometime during the night, she had wrapped herself completely around Faustus. Though she was loath to move from her comfortable position, she rubbed her tired eyes and forced herself to look at the clock on the bedside table. 5 o’clock. She knew she needed to get ready but curled up next to him again for a few more minutes. The instant she disentangled herself and got up she missed his warmth. She procured her dance attire and got dressed as silently as she could, hoping to slip out before he woke up. Her coat was on the floor, and one of her shoes were by the door but in the darkness, she couldn’t find her dress or the other shoe. As she checked under the bed, her heel slipped out of her grip and clattered to the floor. Faustus moved and she cursed under her breath praying he wouldn’t wake up. He sleepily turned towards her, “Sneaking out?”

“Rehearsal begins in an hour and I need to get back to the theatre. Do you know where my other shoe is?”

He ran a hand down his face trying to remember, “Check under the couch.” He heard her move to look and yawned. “But the show doesn’t even start until 8 tonight.”

“No rest for the wicked I’m afraid.” She must have found her other shoe because he saw her turning to leave. There was a pause and then he heard the clicking of her heels approach the bed. 

She bent to kiss his cheek but his head turned so her lips met his instead, she shut her eyes wishing she could crawl back into bed with him. 

Her hand caressed his face before she stepped back, pulled on her gloves and left without a word. He watched her go before he rolled across the bed to see the time. 5:30, they had only gone to bed an hour or two ago. He set the clock down and flopped back onto the bed, her lingering scent lulled him back to sleep.

\---

Zelda stepped out of the theatre following morning rehearsal and contemplated going back to her apartment to get some more sleep. One glance at the local coffee shop across the street made her decision for her. The café was noisy with the lunch rush starting to trickle in. One of the baristas recognized her and started making her espresso. She gave the woman a grateful smile and grabbed an empty table by the front windows. The street was bustling with people in a hurry, she stared out and let her mind wander. Her thoughts led her back to him. She hated herself for being so open with her feelings last night but he had always been her greatest weakness. She enjoyed their casual flings but there were times, like last night, where it felt different. Where instead of just enjoying the sex, she would imagine more. Though she knew he didn’t mind when she wanted something other than just quick rough sex, last night he had indulged her a bit more than usual.

At some point during her zoned out musing, a waiter had dropped off her coffee though she couldn’t recall when. It was still piping hot and after one sip she felt life re-enter her body. This morning’s practice had been more difficult than usual. Her legs were sore from last night’s performance and then the repeated performances with Faustus. After getting to the theatre she had needed to glamour away the red handprints on her hips and several marks on her shoulders.

She took another sip and closed her eyes in recollection of the night before. A slight smile played on her lips, remembering his touch. Love was an emotion better left in Hilda’s romance novels but the feeling that spread through her whenever she was with him certainly was pleasant. She sighed and not for the first time wondered how she went without him for such long periods of time. 

Zelda finished her espresso and placed some cash on the table. A long line of people had formed and she had to push her way out the door. A cab had just pulled up and a man stepped out, he saw her approach and held the car door. She flashed a charming smile in thanks as she got in. The cab pulled away from the curb, she gave directions to the driver and settled in as the city crawled by. 

They pulled up to the hotel drive, she paid her fare and tipped him for not attempting to talk to her. A group of businessmen was gathered in the lobby seating area, their heads turned at the sound of her heels clacking on the marble lobby. She ignored them and quickly slipped past and they thankfully went back to their discussion. Despite all of the people milling around, she was welcomed by the receptionist, “Good afternoon, Lady Blackwood.” That caught her attention, Lady Blackwood? Then it registered, she opened her mouth to correct them then thought better of it. No sense in scandalizing them with the fact that she and Faustus were most certainly not married. Her mouth clamped shut into a tense smile and she beelined for the elevators, thanking Satan that no one got in with her. 

She checked her reflection in the elevator doors and it appeared her makeup was still intact but the wind outside had swept her hair back. Running her fingers through it a few times seemed to fix it slightly. She knew she really didn’t need to bother, this was Faustus, he had pretty much seen her in every level of disarray there was but she smoothed her hair down one last time anyway. Once her vanity was sated, she ended the glamour charm and rubbed at her wrists which were still a little raw. The elevator opened to the top floor and she went to Faustus’ door.

Deciding against knocking she turned the lock with a spell and walked in. Faustus was standing at the window talking on the hotel phone, based on his tense shoulders it was business. He turned from the window at the sound of the latch closing and saw her. The muscle’s in his jaw unclenched and he theatrically rolled his eyes at whoever was on the other end of the line. With an apologetic smile, she pulled off her coat and hung it in the entryway rubbing the fur flat. Then started peeling off layers.

One of his father’s cronies was trying his damnedest to talk his ear off. The man was just spouting information Faustus already knew. He glanced back at her and saw her beginning to undress. The little focus he’d had for the imbecile evaporated. She peeled off her leotard so that she was left in her stockings which she quickly pulled off. The robe she had left earlier was sitting on the coffee table and she tied it around her waist. There was a pause on the other end of the line and he ended the conversation and hung up, irritated with the incompetence of his father’s business partners. But even his annoyance faded at the sight of her, she was on the couch massaging her undoubtedly sore legs. He lit a fire in the hearth with a wave of his hand to eliminate some of the chill from the room and sat down next to her. He pulled her legs into his lap and took over massaging them while she laid back and closed her eyes. As his hands worked down her legs she would moan almost imperceptibly whenever he hit a knot. He kept looking over at her and admiring her, she was rarely this unguarded. He appreciated these little moments where she would actually allow him to take care of her, though they were few and far between. Her fierce independence was one of his favorite things about her but it did make it difficult to show her how much he cared. “You are more relaxed here, more than I think I have ever seen you.” 

She opened her eyes, “What can I say New York agrees with me.” He smiled and started on her ankles and feet, “So tell me how is Greendale.”

“Not much has changed, still a sleepy little town. I’m out on sabbatical from teaching for a little while. Father Ashton is dealing with some professor shortages at the Academy.” He wondered if he should go into what her brother was up to, he knew the siblings were on rather icy terms at the moment.

“And Edward?” Well, there was no way around discussing his mentee now. He thought a moment before answering as carefully as possible. 

“He seems fine if a little distant. His work ethic at the moment leaves something to be desired but his studies are progressing.” She quirked an eyebrow, and he sighed “He misses you, Zelda.” He heard her scoff but continued. “I don’t know what the argument between you two was about or why it sent you gallivanting off, but it must have been serious to split the two of you up.” Her eyes made him think of some kind of raptor, possibly waiting for him to ask. Instead, he moved his hands up to her thighs. It was almost a tangible feeling when her intense gaze moved to the window. 

She thought back to the gloomy day she had left Greendale. Without looking up at her he gave her a way out, “If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand.” Now it was her turn to sigh,

“No, it's alright I’ve been running from it long enough; besides you are a part of the story to some extent.” This piqued his curiosity but waited for her to elaborate. “After our parents died Edward changed. He was suddenly controlling and angry.” He hazarded a glance her way but she was lost in memory. 

“Being the eldest he decided he was in charge of the family. He criticized me for my ‘loose’, his word, not mine, lifestyle. Going partying, drinking with old Academy friends and–“

“Sleeping with me?” 

“Actually, he didn’t know about that, at least not at first.” She smirked. “Otherwise I never would have been allowed out of the house.”

“As if that would have stopped me.” She smiled despite the painful memories and put a hand on his before continuing,

“Basically, anything I enjoyed he tried to prevent me from doing. Dancing, singing, going out. Anything that wasn’t studying or padding his ego.” She scoffed. “He would constantly cut me down, comparing the two of us, painting himself to be the intelligent, wise, older brother and me an insolent child that needed reigning in.”

“What about Hilda?”

“I tried my best to protect her, I kept his attention on me so that she could finish up at the Academy, and I pushed her to go study herbology and potions in London. I couldn’t let him hurt her.” She took a breath. “But once she was gone, he really went off the deep end. His nagging was like a broken record, and I was fed up with it.” His hands stilled on her legs, unshed tears were in her eyes. She swallowed, “even while we were at the Academy, he’d ask for my assistance on spells and homework. Then after he graduated, he’d ask me for input on studying to be high priest. And yet he still had the nerve to say I was the dumbest Spellman. That I was a pretty face and nothing more.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, he wanted to reassure her, comfort her in some way but the words just would not come. Her tears dried up and anger flashed through her eyes,

“But the worst was when he started pushing me to settle down and become a good little house witch.” Faustus knew just how well that probably went over. “There were a few men he had selected. Two of them were old enough to be my father, and the other was an idiot with an old family name. There was nothing I could do about it either, he had essentially bound Hilda and I so that neither of us could choose our own partners” Her voice was laced with disgust. “After that, I was done. The brother I knew was gone and the new Edward was only interested in himself and his own ambitions.”

In what sounded more like a quiet reminder to herself she said, “I am no one’s pawn.” She pulled her legs to her chest and set her chin on her knees, “I called him a soulless social climber and threw his inappropriate relationship with a mortal in his face." She scoffed. "He thought I didn’t know." "He didn’t appreciate being called a hypocrite and he slapped me. So, I packed my bags and left for good.” Hearing that his pupil had laid a hand on her made his blood boil. 

She rubbed a hand down her face tiredly and blinked the memories away. One glance at Faustus and it was clear he wasn’t taking it well; his jaw was set and his hands were in tight fists. She kneeled beside him on the couch and turned his face to look at her “Faustus I appreciate your anger and protectiveness but you need to let it go it happened almost 20 years ago.” The rage hadn’t abated from his eyes but he no longer looked like he was going to apparate to Greendale and kill Edward. She smiled prettily at him trying to get him to focus on her instead of the past. “Now come on.” He allowed her to lead him to the bed she crawled into his lap and placed distracting kisses on his face and neck.

He tried reminding himself that she had to dance tonight and they needed to keep it light, no matter how desperately he wanted to untie the bow holding her slinky robe in place. Instead, he held her legs and flipped them over. Bracing himself on his forearms he put his mouth to her chest nipping and sucking at her lily-white skin, making sure to leave faint red marks behind. Her hands ran down his back, but as he ravaged her neck, he couldn’t help remembering Edward had the audacity to lay a finger on her. 

She felt his muscles tense up under his shirt and knew his mind was back on Edward. “Faustus? Come back, focus on me, Faustus. Take me instead.” He grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the bed, she arched up to recapture his lips but he pulled back and sighed.

“No” He released her arms and she sat up.

“No?” She was insulted, did he really just reject her?

“No.” He affirmed. “I want to give you what you want and fuck you until we both forget Edward exists, but if I have my way with you neither of us are going to be making it to tonight’s performance” A wolfish smile reached his face “and I already paid for my ticket.” The fear that had crept into her eyes faded and she got up on her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck laughing as she kissed him.

He’d deal with Edward later, he wasn’t about to ruin his limited time with her over her insignificant twit of a brother. She let go and lay back on the bed. Knowing she probably hadn’t bothered to eat yet today he went to the desk to order them lunch. While he was on the phone he glanced back at her lounging on his bed. She stared out the window and stifled a yawn. His body was frustrated from not finishing what they started but looking at her she definitely needed some rest. After he hung up with concierge he went back to the bed and untied his shoes. “Mind if I join you?” she nodded and he propped himself up on the pillows. She stretched out and rested her head on his chest, and he protectively wrapped an arm around her.

Despite the espresso earlier sleep found her quickly. Faustus gently smoothed her soft hair and picked up his book from the nightstand. A quiet settled over the room, just her even breathing and the occasional turning of a page. It was all so different from their usual arrangement but he welcomed getting to see this other side of her. A knock at the door broke the silence. He carefully shifted her onto a pillow, trying to not disturb her rest. She didn’t even open her eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief and brought the tray of food back to the bed. He sat back down and brushed the hair from her face, she stretched and yawned, sitting up at the sight of food. 

The fare was simple, just a few sandwiches and fruit. He handed her one before biting into his hungrily. Instead of digging into hers, he watched her dissect the sandwich, pulling off the cheese, tomato, and deli meat. She left the bread on the plate and rolled all of it into the lettuce. He swallowed a bite and laughed “Doth the leopard change its spots?” in a mocking Shakespearian voice.

Her eyes narrowed. “The leopard needs to continue fitting into her dance costumes.” He pulled her towards him.

“As if you are in any danger of that happening.” She rolled her eyes but there was a smile on her lips and she stayed close to him. They finished their sandwiches and he grabbed the bowl of berries from the tray and lay back. She popped a few of them in her mouth before lying back down on his chest and wrapping an arm around his waist. Letting his heartbeat soothe her back to sleep

He held himself very still while she was settling back in, afraid any movement would spook her back to the other side of the bed. He tentatively stroked her hair as she fell asleep. She was so unlike any other woman he had ever met, he admired her and her mercurial ways. He grabbed a handful of berries and returned to his book content to spend the afternoon as her pillow.

At a quarter to six, he gently rubbed her shoulder until her eyes slowly opened. Her lips curled into a smile upon seeing him. She hummed and pushed herself so she was eye level with him, “good morning,” she said in a sleepy voice.

He laughed and kissed the tip of her nose, “Good evening.” 

She reluctantly pulled away to glance at the clock and groaned. She climbed out of bed and walked to her clothes, untying the robe as she went. He lowered his book a few inches, she put the leotard back on but left the nylons, the only thing he could think about was if this kept up, he was going to have quite the collection of her clothes. Once again, she grabbed her coat and walked out the door. He supposed it was time he started getting ready as well and went to the bathroom to freshen up and get dressed. After he was back in a suit, he looked around the empty hotel room, wishing she was there.

With nothing else to do he opened the work files sitting on his desk and went through the finance reports, unsurprised when he found accounting errors. He went back and started fixing the booking errors, after a few pages he checked his watch and swore. He grabbed his coat off the back of a chair and took a risk, apparating directly to the alley behind the theatre.

Thankfully there was no one in sight, the footsteps in the snow that started from nowhere were the only sign of his passing. He hurried into the crowded theatre, he had managed to secure the same seat as the night before and he sat down just as the music began. If it was even possible her voice sounded even sweeter than the last performance. This time he actually paid attention to her character, though it didn’t seem like she was playing a part at all. In the sea of actors, she was still Zelda. Her stage persona was smart, cunning, unwilling to sacrifice, yet still vulnerable. He couldn’t tell if that was the way the part was written or if it was Zelda’s own design. Once again, her final solo took the theatre’s breath away. However, this time as the curtain closed, he was one of the first to rise and applaud the performance. At the curtain call, she caught the one white flower that rained down with the roses.

Those in theatre took their time filtering out into the cold, he wove through the crowd to slip backstage and find her dressing room. 

At his knock, he heard a muffled “come in.” She was sitting at her vanity and smiled when she saw him in the mirror. The male star was standing by her side, both of them were still in their black stage costumes. 

He raised an eyebrow “Oh, am I interrupting something?” at the moment he was hoping he had. 

She saw something dangerous flicker in Faustus’ eyes and went to stand next to him. “Faustus, this is Randall McGrath.” She and Faustus started speaking simultaneously, 

“Randy, this is my—"

“Faustus Blackwood.”

Randy’s eyes flicked between the two of them before he shook Faustus’ outstretched hand. Zelda felt her face heat up. She was glad Faustus had interrupted her because she truly had no idea what she would have said. The likelihood that he hadn’t heard her was slim so she avoided looking at him.

As Randall, or rather Randy, shook his hand, Faustus had to stop himself from grinning. It was likely a mental slip on her part but it did mean she thought of him as her something. Faustus let go of Randall’s hand and took some pleasure in seeing the man wince. Faustus pasted a smile on his face that never reached his eyes and offered his polite congratulations while continuing to stare the smaller man down. Randy looked between them once more and hastily said his goodbyes. After the door shut behind him, she turned back to her vanity, still trying not to meet his gaze.

His steps were silent on the carpet as he moved to stand behind her. She didn’t lift her eyes and he almost laughed at her uncharacteristic embarrassment. Her fingers were unconsciously rubbing together, he’d bet money that she was itching for a cigarette right about now. Her hair was still pulled up, leaving her neck exposed, a crucial error. He crouched to press small kisses along the back of her neck. Her body relaxed at his touch, her eyes closed. He leaned in so that he was right next to her ear, “I am your what exactly?” those green eyes snapped open and her face flushed. This time he did laugh. 

A small bundle of flowers appeared in his hand and he motioned to her dresser where the flowers he had thrown to the stage were in a glass vase, “those two are looking a little lonely.” She steeled herself before she stood and kissed him. Her face still felt warm but she supposed it could have been worse, at least she hadn’t finished the sentence. His arms circled around her back bringing her closer. “Am I allowed to steal you away tonight?”

“Would it matter if I said no?” he smirked and released her so she could put the flowers with the others. They helped brighten the small room as she fussed with their placement.

“Not really. If you were going out with the cast, I would just have to find some way to keep you preoccupied and out of Randall’s reach.”

With the flowers arranged to her liking, she turned back and saw him sitting backwards on her vanity chair.

"Faustus you don't need to bother with him. He was in here asking about the show." 

"I don’t know. The two of you play awfully intimate partners on that stage” she crossed her arms.

"That's why it’s called acting." He narrowed his eyes but let it go after all the important part was, she had sort of insinuated they were together to this Randy. 

"Well, what would you like to do tonight then?" 

Her eye’s opened wide feigning surprise, “oh? I didn’t realize I had agreed to go anywhere with you.” 

“Fine. Zelda would you please be my date tonight?” 

“I don’t know I’m terribly tired and curling up with Vinegar Tom at home sounds awfully appealing…” She knew she was laying the dramatics on a little thick and she shouldn’t toy with him but it was too fun not to. While awaiting his no-doubt scathing reply to her little game she turned to get undressed. 

What she hadn’t accounted for was him sweeping her off her feet, as she found herself cradled in his arms, she couldn’t hold her act together and burst out laughing,

“Faustus put me down!”

“I don’t see why I should, after all, my girlfriend just said she’d prefer the company of her familiar over me.” 

Was he actually about to beat her at her own game? Wait had he just called her his girlfriend?

“Faustus?” she said his name so quietly and her big eyes searched his. Perhaps he had pulled that out a bit too soon. “Let me down please.” The instant her toes hit the ground her lips were on his. When she pulled away, he ran his fingers through his hair to hide his nerves but the grin on her face reassured him some.

“So, will you be joining me this evening?”

She laughed, “Of course I am coming with you.”

“Anything you would like to do?” She shrugged and started undoing her bun, but had on a smile that didn’t look like it was going anywhere anytime soon. “Are you hungry?" 

"Not particularly."

“Would you like to get a drink?” 

“I really don’t care.”

He thought for a moment. "What if I just surprise you again?"

“I suppose I can live with that.” Her smirk belying her flat tone. She undid the ties on her costume and stepped out of it. "Anything in particular I should wear?" He settled back into her chair.

"What you have on now looks perfect." He was grinning from ear to ear as she stood there with her hands on her hips in no clothing at all save a pair of panties. One of her pointe shoes came hurtling at his head forcing him to duck. Exasperated she shook her head at him and stepped to the dresser pulling out a bra and nylons. Through the various stages of her redressing he jokingly bemoaned the loss of his view. While she rolled her eyes at his antics, she couldn’t help the smile on her face. She looked over at him as she pulled on a purple wool skirt and a black sweater. This was the first time he had ever mentioned the two of them being something, even as a joke. Unsure of what to make of it, she decided to just enjoy it for now, they could discuss it later. She began brushing out her hair. “Do you always dress like this after a show.” 

“Yes—” The skirt swirled around her calves as she turned to him— "one never knows who might walk through the door," she said coyly. She angled a black rimless hat on her head and grabbed a long black peacoat from a hook.

He escorted them back through the nearly empty theatre so he could pick up his coat. They walked out to the city covered in a blanket of white. A theatre doorman was holding a taxi, Faustus let go of her arm and gave the driver an address before moving over so she could enter. The doorman closed the door behind her and they sped off. 

“May I guess where we are going?”

“You can try.” She looked back out at the falling snow,

“Well central park is certainly out.” She said dryly

“That is correct we will be indoors.”

She kept checking which streets they were on before it dawned on her where they were headed, “Faustus…”

“Mhm?” The driver pulled up along the curb in front of the hotel. Faustus paid and got out.

She leaned forward to talk to the driver, “could you wait here please?” The cabbie grunted in what she assumed was a yes, and she exited and walked to where Faustus was waiting on the sidewalk. Large snowflakes were falling thickly around them. “I’m sorry if I gave any false pretenses but I am actually very tired and am not in any state to do a repeat of last night.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek in farewell. “I will just head back to my apartment.” His laughter caught her a little off guard,

“Zelda, you do know it is possible for two people to sleep together without having sex, don’t you?”

Mirth filled her voice, “I can’t say I am familiar with the sensation.” He drew her closer to him,

“Well then Ms. Spellman, allow me to enlighten you.”

“Yes, Professor Blackwood.” She breathed. He pulled her closer and bit her earlobe,

“We are _not_ playing that game.”

Her giggling was muffled by his chest, but she looked up at him “Oh come on it was funny.”

“I was never a professor while you were a student. I’m not that much older than you.”

“Have I hit a nerve?”

He played coy. “Maybe”

“Can I kiss it better?”

He tried to keep his face stoic. “Perhaps.” He felt her lips on his neck,

“Here?”

“No.”

She planted a small peck behind his ear. “How about here.”

“You’re getting closer.” She reached up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Almost there.” At last, she pressed her lips to his. “There you go.” He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. Only releasing her so they could get out of the cold. The cab rumbled away as they entered the hotel.

Once they were back in his room, he got a fire going and poured them both a glass of whiskey. He sat on the couch and she curled up next to him. 

She leaned into him further “You know this might be better than Vinegar Tom.” 

His lips pressed into her hair. “I certainly hope so.”

She was still thinking about him calling her his girlfriend when he interjected her thoughts. “I hope I didn’t scare you.” 

“You didn’t. Quite the opposite actually.” After years of pining after her, it couldn’t possibly be that simple,

“Really?”

“I mean the fact that you are practically engaged does mean it can’t be anything proper, but I’m yours for now.” She smiled up at him before snuggling back into him.

He took a drink before asking what had been on his mind. “Have you slept with him?” 

“Who? Randy?” He nodded. “No, I haven’t. He really was just coming to check on me.” He cocked an eyebrow. She sighed and looked away, uncomfortable discussing her mistake. “This morning at practice he threw me and I over-rotated and fell.” 

“You know you don’t have to be embarrassed about not being perfect one-hundred percent of the time, right?” She didn’t know how to respond so she decided to change the subject

“What about you and Mildred?” 

“Satan no.” He wasn’t sure how he wanted to tell her that he hadn’t slept with anyone since last spring when she had shown up at Blackwood manor in the middle of the night, but this wasn’t it. Not that telling her the next bit of news he had was an easier, “my father called this morning evidently he is still adamant on selecting my wife from his sick bed. He is now opening talks with Constance’s parents.”

There was a name she knew. Constance had been a year ahead of her at the Academy, she and Faustus had practically grown up together. It pained her to think about the two of them marrying, she put her head on his shoulder so he wouldn’t be able to read her face, before stating, “Well that sounds like a better match.”

That hadn’t been the response he had expected, and after her proclamation of being his, he was a little disappointed. The irony wasn’t lost on him that the two people in the running to be his wife he could barely stand being in the same room with for longer than a few hours at a time, while the woman he would never tire of was a continuous flight risk. He wrapped an arm around her as though it would physically keep her by his side a little longer.

“I don’t think I’d call us a match. Constance and I have been forced together before, to say she dislikes me would be an understatement.” This was news to her, the two of them had even been labeled an item at the Academy her first year. “You don’t remember do you?”

She turned to look at him again “Remember what?”

He laughed “Of course you don’t. Well after Edward’s hot little sister started at the Academy, Constance caught me looking a few too many times and broke things off.” She snickered.

“You always were terrible at the whole keeping your hand out of the cookie jar.” He squeezed her and kissed her hair,

“Who could blame me you are far too tempting for your own good.” She took a sip of her drink,

“Is this your way of charming me back into bed?” His laugh rumbled in his chest.

“No, I am not exactly ready for round two either. Just stating some facts.” She took a large sip of her drink enjoying the burn on the back of her throat. His arm around her shoulder was warm and she felt as though the rest of the world didn’t exist. That was the best part about Faustus, things were easy. She didn’t have to think about life and what came tomorrow. There was no one she had to be and everything she was running away from just seemed to disappear in his presence. She finished her drink and rested her empty glass on her knee and closed her eyes breathing him in, wishing this would never end.

He heard her breathing deepen as she fell asleep. He continued his drink and stared into the fire wondering how on earth they had gotten here. This wasn’t the Zelda he remembered from the Academy. This felt more real, she was more real. Less interested in maintaining her perfect image at least where he was concerned. The fact that he had convinced her to stay tonight had him dumbfounded. They were vehemently compatible in the bedroom but her falling asleep in his arms would never have happened in their on-again-off-again days at the Academy or the years after when she was still in Greendale. He found himself wanting to know more about her, he knew what she liked and disliked but it didn’t feel like he truly knew her. He doubted anyone really did except for perhaps Hilda.

After watching the fire turn to embers, he set their glasses on the table and scooped her up. The fact that she hadn’t awoken surprised him, that alone was a testament to her exhaustion. He was tempted to undress her but that was going to be enormously difficult in her unconscious state so he pulled back the covers and set her down, slipping off her shoes before tucking her in. He had already taken off most of his tux when they had gotten back but he took off the dress shirt and slacks and got into bed beside her.


	4. Chapter 4

Weak morning light filtered in through the window and woke Zelda up. Another morning spent waking up in his arms, the thought brought a smile to her face. She carefully rolled over to face him, a few locks of hair had fallen onto his forehead and she gently brushed them back. The day before felt like a dream, “was any of it real?” She whispered to his sleeping form. Telling him that she was his had shocked her, perhaps she should downplay it, blame it on the lack of sleep or the whiskey, something. It wasn’t as if they could ever be more than what they were. Edward would never allow it, nor would Faustus’ parents. Even entertaining the thought of being together was painful and dangerous. She ran a finger along his jaw and felt his arms tighten around her.

“Good morning,” his voice was thick with sleep and his eyes remained closed. She tilted his chin up and kissed him.

At some point during the night, she must have gotten undressed, she didn’t have a stitch of clothing on. He held her snuggly to his chest and turned onto his back. Finally, he opened his eyes to her bright one's inches from his. No makeup, wearing nothing but a smile, and after almost a century still the most stunning woman he had ever seen. She kissed him once more slowly, he ran his tongue along her lips until they parted. 

As he kissed her the world faded away. She had been in plenty of warlocks’ beds since she left Greendale but none of them had felt half as good as just this kiss. The taste of him stronger than any drug and twice as addictive. As she relished the feeling of his tongue in her mouth her fears from before reentered her mind, choking out the pleasure and poisoning her happiness. She broke off the kiss, her eyes unwilling to meet his. She tried to push the thoughts out of her mind, but they relentlessly reminded her that she wasn’t his and never could be. 

Her smile had faltered and there was a pain in her eyes that worried him. “Zelda?” A fake smile plastered itself on her face and all emotion fled her eyes. He could physically see her rebuilding the walls she used to keep everyone out, he thought they were past that, especially after last night. She pushed off of him and set about getting dressed for rehearsal. He ached to pull her back under the covers and ask what was wrong, what he had done, but he wouldn’t get anywhere unless she wanted to talk, so he got up and dressed for work.

As she was zipping up her dress, she caught him staring at her with his brow furrowed in apparent concern. She wanted to run to him, restart the morning and wake up in his arms again. The silence in the room was deafening, as she tried to continue getting ready it only got worse. He had turned back to the windows to finish his tie. Her reflection stared back at her in the mirror, only amplifying her guilt. She abandoned her task of curling her hair and walked up to wrap her arms around him, pressing her cheek to his back. “I’m sorry.”

That surprised him, she hadn’t done anything wrong. She loosened her grip so he could face her. He searched her eyes but they told him nothing. “You have nothing to apologize for.” He stated simply. 

She bit her lip and asked quietly “Do you want to talk about last night?” He should have known, she had always been petrified of commitment. He tilted her chin up so she’d look at him,

“That depends. Have your feelings changed in the sober light of morning?”

She couldn’t read him, couldn’t tell if he wanted her to end this right now or not.

“Zelda. Have your feelings changed?” 

Thoughts were churning in her head as she went back over all the reasons why they couldn’t and finally decided to hell with it. “No.”

He hid his smile with a small peck to her forehead. “Then we don’t need to discuss it.” The worry didn’t quite leave her eyes, but the smile returned. 

She reached up and adjusted his tie. He motioned towards the window where heavy snow was still blowing around “It looks miserable out there.” She hummed her agreement and turned to go and grab her coat. “Can I at least offer you a ride?”

“Is the theatre on your way?” 

“No, but Zelda, do you really want to be waiting for a cab in this weather?” She glanced back outside where most of the city was obscured by the blizzard that had blown in last night.

“Not particularly.”

“Then it's settled.” He donned his coat and held hers open. “You’re coming with me.” She buttoned up her coat and they walked into the hallway, 

“I do need to actually make it to practice.” He held his arm out to her.

“Please, I will be a perfect gentleman.” Her ringing laugh drew a smirk. 

“Why do I doubt that?” As the elevator doors closed around them, he leaned against the back wall and pulled her hips to his. 

He flashed a devilish smile, “Perhaps because you know me.” 

Whatever he had planned on doing was halted by the elevator doors reopening. An older couple entered and Zelda practically jumped out of his arms, chastely leaning against the wall with her hands tucked behind her. He almost laughed aloud. The older woman stared at them and he tipped his hat in greeting. She pursed her lips while her husband tried to avoid making eye contact. 

Zelda’s ears burned and she stared at her feet. The rest of the ride passed in uncomfortable silence. When they, at last, reached the lobby, the older couple hurried off and Faustus let out the laugh he had been holding. She swatted at him, still embarrassed at being caught. “What? We weren’t even doing anything.”

Her cheeks were still flushed but she did loop her arm around his as they walked through the foyer. When he opened the door a blast of wind instantly froze her legs and she pressed closer to him for the short walk to the street. His chauffeur quickly opened the back door and they slid into the limousine. 

Despite the theatre being close to the hotel, the ride there took a while. All of the roads were slick and several hadn’t been cleared of snow. Neither of them could remember a time when the New York City streets were this empty. Very few cars were on the roads and even fewer people on the sidewalk. Once they finally made it to the theatre, Faustus opened her door and held out a hand to prevent her from slipping. “Would you like me to walk you in?”

“Don’t you have a meeting to get to?”

He looked at her pointedly. “Are you ever going to answer one of my questions with something other than a question?” Her eyes narrowed but she took his arm. As they entered the theatre a short balding man almost ran into them. 

“Ah Ms. Spellman, rehearsal has been cancelled and so has tonight’s show.” He eyed Faustus while he continued speaking to her. “You were the only one we couldn’t reach last night.”

She looked down at him “Cancelled? Why?” He motioned at the doors, clearly exasperated.

“Because of this storm. Nearly every office in Manhattan is closed.” He adjusted his glasses as he pushed by them and went out into the cold.

Faustus watched him scurry away. “Well, he seems pleasant.”

She rolled her eyes and led them out the door. “That’s Tom, he’s the theatre manager. He just doesn’t like when we aren’t at his beck and call at all hours of the day. Showing up with you doesn’t help either.” She added almost as an afterthought. He arched a brow. “He hates it when I show up anywhere with a date. Says they are a distraction.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and turned her towards him. “A distraction you say?” He closed the distance between their lips and she melted into his embrace. She tugged on his collar to keep him from ending the kiss but he tilted his head back to look down at her, “Tell me, are you feeling…distracted Zelda?”

She went up on her toes to reach his lips. “Mhm,” she moaned into his mouth. Her eyes remained shut after she pulled away but the chill finally forced her to let him go and walk toward the curb. 

“Where are you going?”

“To hail a cab home.” As she reached the curb, her heel slid on a hidden patch of ice and she fell backward, directly into Faustus’ arms. Once she righted herself, she tried to shake him off, ashamed of her clumsiness but he didn’t let her go.

“Nonsense. It sounds like I have the perfect excuse to play hooky. What do you say, shall we stay in today?” She nodded against his chest, he helped her over the ice and back to the car. “Gerald, back to the hotel please.”

She sat in the seat across from him as they pulled back into the street. He picked up the car phone and dialed. “Good morning, this is Faustus. Please notify my partners that I will not be in today due to the weather.” He paused. “They called in already? Excellent. Then take the rest of the day off and be careful going home, Margaret.” He glanced over at Zelda and caught her studying him. “Right, bye.” He said into the phone.

After he hung up the phone her eyes bore into his. “Who’s Margaret?”

“My secretary.”

“Your secretary?” Her accusatory tone surprised her. She was trying to remember that his use of the title girlfriend the night prior hadn’t actually changed the nature of their relationship. No part of them being together was real, and she shouldn’t be jealous, but her brain wasn’t listening to logic at the moment. 

“It's not like that Zelda.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” She flipped her hair and looked out at the storm billowing around them. He smirked and moved to sit next to her, sliding so that he was pressed alongside her. 

“Jealousy looks good on you dearest.” His breath tickled her ear but she stubbornly kept her eyes to the window. When flattery didn’t work, he pressed his lips to the exposed skin on her neck, knowing exactly where to kiss to make her forget she was angry with him. She didn’t turn but did lengthen her neck for him. His lips were featherlight on her jaw and he saw her eyelashes flutter, he brushed her hair out of the way and kissed the sensitive skin behind her ear. Her eyes closed fully her head tilted ever so slightly back towards him.

The smell of his cologne and his touch were quickly ending her desire to stay mad at him. She had no right to be jealous, they were never an exclusive item and despite last night they were still weren’t something. Part of her still wanted to punish him, the other wanted to believe him. She brought a hand to his chin and removed his lips from her neck. After his focus was back on her face, she gave him a demure smile and tilted her head to kiss him. Once their lips were almost touching, she stopped. “Who’s Margaret?”

He shook out of her light grip. “Tease.” He rubbed at his temple, “Margaret is a mortal who deals with my father’s business partners when I am not in New York. I think she is a law or business student at one of the universities around here.” He caressed her cheek and looked deeply into her eyes. “I have not, nor will I ever, have relations with my secretary. Or any mortal for that matter.” He placed a kiss on her forehead. “You have nothing to worry about.” She searched his face but he looked sincere, she relaxed into his touch and attempted to push her unexplained anxiety away. He drew her into his lap and glanced over her shoulder to make sure Gerald was keeping his eyes on the road before snaking his hands under her coat. “You know, I don’t remember you getting this jealous before.”

Her hands went to the nape of his neck and tilted his face up. “You’re mine for the week, then you can go back to sleeping with your secretary.”

“I’m not—” She laughed and cut off the rest of his rebuttal with a smiling kiss. His eyes closed and he squeezed her ass trying to distract from the fact his heart had sunk after her proclamation. When she said she was his last night he had assumed it was for longer than just five days. Her fingers brushed against his cheek, even the slightest touch driving him crazy. This was ridiculous he had only just gotten her back after almost a year without her. His eyes snapped open with a burning intensity. “I want you for more than just a week.” 

She beamed and leaned in again. “Done.” He captured her lips and was quickly reminded that he didn’t want her for weeks; he wanted her for years, and decades, centuries even. He wanted her forever.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning this one gets a little more serious, including some PTSD so please be warned of that

The car rumbled to a stop and Faustus was forced to relinquish his hold on her. She slid off of him as Gerald opened the door and tipped his hat to her. She wondered how many women he had opened this door for, the number was likely higher than she cared to think about. Instead, she thanked him and tried to keep the cold out while she waited for Faustus. 

He dodged the look from his chauffeur and grasped her hand before entering the lobby. When the elevator doors opened two small children spilled out and almost crashed into them. A woman, presumably the children’s mother, called after them. As her husband raced to grab the kids, she turned to them and apologized. Zelda smiled weakly and tightened her grip on his hand when the woman smoothed her coat over her visibly pregnant stomach.

They entered the elevator and he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Zelda stared blankly after the family before shivering and drawing closer to him. 

A group of people slipped into the elevator right as the doors were closing, and Faustus thankfully behaved himself. As they climbed, the elevator slowly emptied until they were alone. She slipped her arms around his waist unable to shake the cold that seemed to have settled in her bones. A brief feeling of warmth spread across her back where his arm held her tightly, but it disappeared when the doors opened and he needed to unlock the door.

Once they were back in the room, she pulled her coat off and she stood in front of the fire trying to warm herself. He couldn’t help but observe her. Something was wrong. She had gone from writhing in his arms in the car to completely silent. “Do you want to tell me what happened down there?” She crossed her arms around her middle

“It’s silly, don’t worry about it. I’m fine.” She wasn’t certain if she was trying to reassure him or herself. He placed his warm hands on her shoulders.

“It isn’t silly if it’s bothering you. You can tell me.” She shook out of his touch and sat in one of the red armchairs, slipping her nude heels off before pulling her feet up and tucking them under the navy pleats of her dress. Her eyes focused on the flickering flames in the hearth.

“It was the family. It reminded me of something from a long time ago.” He looked slightly confused, so she elaborated. “The little boy and girl, the ones that almost ran into us, it was like Edward and I. We were always getting into trouble. I remember when my mother was pregnant with Hilda, were on a boat across the Atlantic to visit family and—" She cut herself off and looked up at him. “See I told you it was stupid.”

“I don’t know if I have ever heard you talk about your past.”

She made a dismissive gesture with her hand “That is because it’s a pointless exercise, what is done is done, it can’t be changed. No matter how much we might want to.” The words were bitter in her mouth, but it was the honest truth, she didn’t discuss her past or her childhood because it was painful. 

A shiver wracked through her body again. The dress she had selected this morning wasn’t heavy enough and the sleeves barely went past her elbows. Seeing her shaking, he walked over to the hotel closet and pulled out one of his heavy sweaters and threw it in her lap. As expected, she protested his attempts to help her and tried to hand the sweater back.

“Zelda you are clearly freezing. Put the damn sweater on.” Her bright green eyes glared at him but she slipped the sweater over her head. She held her arms up, and the sleeves hung several inches over her hands. He shook his head and started rolling the cuffs up. “I’m pretty sure you can do this yourself.”

A playful smirk broke through her previous melancholy over her family. “I absolutely could, it's just more amusing watching you do it.” Safely snuggled into Faustus’ sweater she finally started to warm up.

“I can’t have you freezing to death, I want to hear the rest of the story.” She opened her mouth to protest. “I know you are leaving something out, I want to know what.” He sat down on the settee he had fucked her against two days ago. But even that pleasant memory didn’t stop the wave of panic that crashed over her.

He saw her face tighten and he thought he saw a flicker of fear in her eyes, but he must have imagined it because she got up and moved to sit near him on the loveseat. 

“Trust me this is not a story you want to hear.” Perhaps the pain hadn’t been entirely imagined. He wrapped an arm around her.

“Any story about you is one worth hearing.” 

The memories of that trip came back in a dizzying rush and her lips pursed together. She nervously played with the hem of her skirt and tried to figure out how much she was actually going to tell him. 

“Well if you are going to lie to me, perhaps not.” Her gaze flicked to him. “You think in the century that we have been doing this I haven’t figured out when you are about to lie?”

“I told you. It’s not a pleasant story.’

“I don’t care.” She placed her knees on either side of him and cupped his face,

“Or we can forget it, I can think of several more pleasurable and satisfying ways to spend a day in.” She pressed a kiss to his lips and ran her hands through his hair. When he didn’t respond in kind she pouted and pulled back.

His piercing eyes met hers. “Why won’t you let me in?” She sighed and got off of him. 

“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just incredibly difficult." She nervously ran a hand through her hair. "If you really want to do this, can we start somewhere else? I don’t think I am ready to tell that one.” _Especially not to you._

His steely gaze remained on her a moment longer before he conceded. “Fine.” She started pacing slowly.

“Why do you want to hear about my past anyway? It's not as though you haven’t been around for most of it.”

“What do you mean I have been around for most of it? You are nearly impossible to track down. In the past twenty years, I have only seen you when you come looking for me. Is it really so strange for me to be curious?” She had forgotten that when she had completely masked her signature so that Edward wouldn’t be able to find her with any tracing spell, no one else would be able to either.

She paused and looked back at him. “Right about that.”

“I assume it’s because of Edward.” She took her seat beside him again and faced him.

“Yes, after I ran off, he found me and dragged me home, so the next time I was more careful.” She thoughtlessly started rubbing her fingers together. “Were you looking for me?”

The look in his stormy blue eyes took her back to last spring, something alarmingly close to pain. He blinked and it was gone, leaving her questioning whether she had seen it at all. He kissed her nose. “Oddly enough I did want to see you more than once every few years.”

Her eyes softened and a touched smile played on her lips. He had been looking for her all these years. “Well, you found me.”

“Yes. It appears I owe my gratitude to your admirer the editor.”

She smirked and moved closer to him. “Now who’s the jealous one?”

“Me! The fact that other men have been able to admire you on a stage for—” He looked down at her. “How long have you been dancing in New York?”

“Twelve years.”

“Twelve years? I only just found out that you were here, and for twelve years any New Yorker could just waltz down Broadway and see you whenever they felt like it?” 

“They could look but couldn’t touch. That is your exclusive privilege.” She batted her eyes coyly, still hoping to distract him from questioning her past.

He gave her a dubious look. “You expect me to believe you haven’t seduced every warlock in Manhattan?”

“I finished with all of them years ago. It didn’t take long.”

He leaned back. “With your insatiable appetite, I’m not surprised.”

“You’ve never had a problem.” In all their time together, he couldn’t recall her being this forward. She must really be trying to avoid something.

“I’ll give you what you want after you tell me something about yourself. The only news I ever received was you enlisted and were going off to fight in Germany.”

“Who told you that?”

“Hilda.” They said in unison. 

“I still don’t see why this is necessary.”

“Humor me.” She feigned annoyance but started speaking.

“I was over visiting Hilda when the war broke out. I faked papers and a British accent and was quickly dispatched with the Imperial Nursing Service. They gave me a uniform and sent me to France.” 

He frowned at the clinical nature of her retelling but at least it was something. 

“I served the remainder of the war there and was eventually transferred to the Royal Medical Corps as a surgeon. But the story really isn’t all that great, so I won’t bore you with it.”

“Zelda.” How on earth could he convince her that he wanted her for more than just a romp in the sheets? He caught her staring out the window, lost in memory. “Zelda, look at me.” Her green eyes focused on him and he caressed her cheek. “I want to hear it. I want to know more about you. The good, the bad, all of it. What are you afraid of telling me?”

She searched his face, not comprehending his interest. Why now? And what was she afraid of? A lot of things, namely him not liking the person she was. Her past was littered with things she wasn’t proud of, but there were a few she was. Her military service was one of them, and she didn’t know what she would do if he came to hate her for it. She saw herself unconsciously reaching for him for comfort, she was falling for him again. Talking about her past was just going to make goodbye so much harder. “These memories hurt and they are better off unsaid. You won’t enjoy hearing them.”

He drew her into his arms. “I want to hear them anyway.” Trusting him was like jumping off a cliff not knowing if there was a parachute. She melded into his embrace. Trying to hold onto the memory for when this backfired on her.

“Fine. I’ll tell you. But I am not moving.” She felt his soft laughter from where she was tucked against his chest but he kept his arms wrapped around her.

“After I fled Edward, I eventually went to England to visit Hilda. She had fallen in with another coven, thankfully, and was still studying herbology. Even doing some research with a warlock on the medicinal uses of various flora. This other coven was expanding and Hilda asked me to stay and utilize my expertise.” At the time she had been away from home for almost four years. Working as a midwife with Hilda again had been the closest thing to normal she'd felt in a while.

“Then the war broke out. Witches and mortals alike were being drafted. Hilda begged me not to, but I was young and stupid and thought I had something to prove, so with her help I had fake papers and a passport stating I was a British citizen. I enlisted as a nurse and took the first deployment to France.” That technically wasn’t the entire truth, she had also been running from her feelings for a certain warlock in Greendale. Before traveling to England she had snuck home only to hear he was engaged. The war had been a convenient excuse to stay busy and keep her from running back to him.

She was staring at nothing again, and he held her tighter, wishing to protect her from whatever demons were hiding in those war-torn memories. “The regiment I was in was well back from the trenches but the stench of death never left the tents. Almost none of the other nurses had full medical backgrounds and half of the surgeons were incompetent; so I started working on the soldiers, performing surgeries while the surgeons were resting and trying to keep as many soldiers alive as I could. Even using minute traces of magic to keep gangrene and other illnesses at bay. I was given the moniker ‘Angel of Mercy’ by the men under my care after I convinced the commanding officers to let me use some of Hilda’s research after we ran out of the usual anesthetics. I know using magic on mortals isn’t condoned by the church but I admit there were times where I would use it to dull the pain of the bone saw. At least whenever I had the energy, I was putting in twenty plus hour days usually…” She trailed off again too busy remembering the thick mud and the difficulty of stitching someone up while the ground was shaking from the mortar blasts to continue. He kissed her strawberry locks.

“Why were you pushing yourself so hard? You must have been working yourself to the bone.”

“I spent four years over there soaked in blood and elbows deep in every kind of battle wound imaginable. Sometimes there was nothing you could do but hold their hand while they died. I seemed to be in surgery almost every waking moment. I did it because no matter how tired I felt I couldn’t help thinking how every one of those men belonged to someone. With all of them, I just kept picturing you, lying there dying, missing a limb and bleeding in the mud.”

His throat was suddenly very dry, he was barely able to process that last sentence. She stirred in his lap, unaware of what she had said out loud.

“I lost too many men on that operating table.” She rested her head on his chest. “Sometimes it felt like we were killing more men than the Germans. Every once in a while, I’d find another witch or warlock in my tent.” She sighed heavily. “Those were the hardest to lose, but some wounds even magic cannot heal. Everything reeked of blood and death. On any given day the pounding of the machine guns and—” He had gone very still being her and she glanced up at him. “Are you sure you want me to continue?”

He remained silent for a moment before clearing his throat. “I hadn’t realized how close to the front you were. Please keep going.”

His tone didn’t quite reassure her, but she continued. “After two years or so I was given a week’s reprieve, sent to some French town far away from the battle spray to recuperate. The quiet was so jarring. I hadn’t realized how used to the screams of agony and the constant echo of gunfire I had become. One of the soldiers there with me had evidently been on my table. It was nice to know some of them made it out. He said I had been promoted to a full surgeon in the Royal Medical Corps. That was the first I had heard of it. I think I slept for most of that week.”

He pulled her closer. Simultaneously amused at her glossing over the achievement of being the first female surgeon in the military and also appalled by the horrors she was witness to and how easily he could have lost her.

“Then it was back to the fray. The Americans had finally shown up, a few of their soldiers even bothered to ask why I was a British medic with an American accent. By that point, I had completely forgotten I was still supposed to be speaking the Queen’s English.” She tried to hit some of the more light-hearted notes of her service, she didn’t like the worry lines etched into his face. “Then the war was finally over. The medical units all had to remain behind while the soldiers were shipped home by the trainful. After the last wounded soldier was gone, I was discharged and back on British soil. Hilda picked me up from the train yard. I nearly collapsed in her arms.”

“It took her a long time for her to nurse me back to health. At that point, I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d had a hot meal, and any loud bang sent me into a panic. Thankfully Hilda had found some plant that would take care of the shell shock, as the mortals called it. Truthfully most of that time is a blur. I was in England for the better part of a year before I was back to normal.”

“I found Hilda had carved out quite a life for herself over there and I figured it was time to return to mine. I didn’t have nearly enough energy to apparate across the Atlantic so I took a ship. I met a girl who was going to join a ballet company in New York City and the rest is history I suppose.” She reached up and touched his face, “I told you it wasn’t an interesting story.”

“Thank you for telling it to me.” He kissed her and tried to show her how much it meant to him. It surprised him that she told him the story at all, he’d never seen her open up like that before. There was one thought bothering him. “I had thought you had too much disdain for mortals to ever be helping them.”

“I despise their blatant disregard for their very short lives. That so many of them died in those trenches over a war that meant nothing at all. As I said I was stupid, it was foolish to help them really, but at the time it gave me a purpose and the witch and mortal lives I saved made it worth it.” She didn’t figure he would take the meddling in mortal affairs bit well, but she wasn’t going to apologize for it. As she had said there was no changing the past.

She gracefully climbed out of his lap and he had to laugh at her slight frame drowned by his sweater. Her crossed arms didn’t help her image. He stood and wrapped his arms around her.

“Well fair is fair.” He murmured in her ear. To his surprise, she pushed at his chest.

“I think I’d rather hear something about you now.”

“I promise I am not hiding any war hero stories.” She rolled her eyes.

“I’ll give you the time it takes to order us lunch to think of something.”

He chuckled and dutifully picked up the phone. “Wine or whiskey?”

“It’s a little early for whiskey.” He nodded and turned back to the phone. 

“This is Faustus Blackwood. I would like two steak salads and a bottle of Malbec sent up to my room. Thank you.”

She stretched out on the bed. “You certainly know how to spoil a girl.”

“Good, then it’s working.” He planted a kiss on her lips, her fingers played with the short hairs on the nape of his neck while she deepened the kiss. All the worries about his reaction to her little tale slipped away with her breath. 

“Do you need to be wearing clothes for us to continue talking?” She bit her lip and shook her head. His sweater and her dress hit the floor. The black lace of her underwear was stark against her pale skin as he traced her lithe form. Her legs hooked around his hips and drew him back on top of her. He pulled her head back by her hair, exposing her neck and placing a bruising kiss there. 

His fingers disentangled from her hair and she felt them trail down her back searching for the clasp of her bra when a knock at the door stilled his hand. He comically hung his head at the interruption before planting a kiss to her sternum and going to open the door.

She plucked his sweater off the floor and tip-toed to the bathroom, she hadn’t chosen her lingerie for the viewing pleasure of anyone other than him. Faustus’ voice reached her as he coldly tried to hurry the bellhop along. As she tried to hide her laugh at his impatience, she slipped the sweater back over her head, only going back into the open after the hotel door shut again. He was pouring out two glasses of wine when she slipped her arms around him from behind.

“You need to eat.” His gentle voice had no trace of his previous annoyance.

“I think what I need is you.” He set the wine bottle down and grasped her hands before turning around.

“You already have me.” The stark frankness of his words had her heart beating faster. She was glad she had put some clothes on otherwise she would have chained him to the bed and neither of them would be eating for a long while. Remembering that she wanted to hear about his life was incredibly difficult when he looked at her like that. Thankfully he released her and went to drag one of the armchairs over to the desk, she ran her hands through her hair trying to regain some semblance of composure.

He sat in the desk chair across from her and motioned for her to sit. For some reason, she felt like she was back in the headmaster’s office at the Academy about to be given detention. Though they’d had a lot of fun in detention together. She took a breath and mentally forced herself to stop thinking back to the days of being pinned to the Academy walls and sat down. 

His intense eyes softened as he lifted his glass to his lips. “I thought we had decided there was no dress code for lunch.”

“Waltzing around in my underwear is one thing. But I think if I want to learn anything about you I need to be clothed, otherwise, your mind tends to wander.” What she didn’t know was that seeing her in his sweater was almost as sexy as that slip of lace she called a bra. It marked her as his and that brought a smile to his lips. 

“And what exactly do you want to hear?”

She chewed a bite of steak while she thought. “I don’t know. Tell me about your family.”

“Both of my parents are from old English nobility. But you already know that.”

She looked at him pointedly. “Then tell me something I don’t know. You never talk about your mother.”

“You and Hilda were a lot closer to her than I was, geographically anyway.”

“Your mother is living in England?”

“Lived. I’m afraid she passed away a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be she was a very old witch.” Zelda raised an eyebrow. He forgot she had never officially met his parents. “My mother was quite a bit older than my father. She lived a very long life and passed peacefully.”

“I guess I don’t know much about your childhood.” He made a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a laugh.

“That is for good reason.” He stabbed at his salad, she reached across the table and rested her hand on his.

“Tell me.” He put his silverware down and ran a hand through his hair.

“They fought constantly. Thankfully my father was usually off on business trips. My mother hated him for a variety of reasons, all of them valid, but the one thing she never forgave him for was bringing her over to the colonies. After I turned sixteen and escaped to the Academy, she returned to England to be with her family.” He took a drink of his wine before continuing. “I think the two of them talked more after she left, I still seemed to be their only common ground but now they had a shared goal; selecting my wife. After she passed and we returned from the funeral, my father redoubled his efforts. I feel guilty about it but I was glad when he fell ill. At least dealing with his business has given me an excuse to leave.”

“Your father is sick?” 

“Very. He hasn’t left his sickbed for some time, which is why I am now in New York.”

“Why haven’t the healers taken care of it?”

“As you said, there are some things even magic can’t fix.”

Genuine concern entered her voice. “I am so sorry Faustus.”

“That is the problem. I’m not.” He stood up and stared out the window where the winter storm raged on. His frustration gave his voice an edge. “I am sick of living a life I need to escape from. Circumventing arranged marriages, running a business I hate. The only thing I actually enjoy is teaching and that is constantly being put on hold by my father’s careless whims.”

Abandoning her lunch, she went around the desk and embraced him. “I’m sorry I asked.”

“Don’t be, fair is fair. My parents’ tempestuous relationship isn’t nearly as tragic as being involved in a mortal military encounter.” 

Her cheek pressed into his chest. “Family is personal, war isn’t. Fighting with the people we love is harder than being on the front lines.” 

He lowered his hands to her hips and bent to kiss her, they kept it slow and the weight of their pasts began to dissipate. Her arms looped around his neck and her lips pressed harder into his, his fingers skimmed her thighs until they found the hem of the sweater, and slipped under it. His hands burned against her waist as he pulled her up against him. Without breaking apart, she hooked a leg around his hip. A hand cupped her thigh but he ended the kiss, concern in his eyes. “Are you sure?” 

“Yes.” Her lips crashed back into his and he lifted her off the floor and took her to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took an unexpected turn while I was writing it so please let me know what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not going to lie I had something else planned for this chapter but after that new season, I think we could all use some smutty fluff wouldn't you say?

The witching hour came and went and Zelda couldn’t sleep. There were too many uncertainties flying around in her head. His arms became stifling and she needed to think. She pulled a sheet off the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders and walked over to the large windows to watch the storm. The bright city lights illuminated the dancing flakes, and she pressed her head against the glass. There wasn’t anything holding her there, she could just go home. Yet despite the temptation of a hot cup of tea and a sleeping-draught, she stayed. She peeked back at his sleeping form, one small mercy she supposed, she hadn’t disturbed his rest. This whole situation had her a touch uneasy. Every nerve screamed to leave before the other shoe dropped and something bad happened.

She wasn’t sure if it was Edward’s voice or her own that was insisting that she didn’t deserve any of this. That the past few days of happiness were only going to end tragically. Her presence in his hotel room continually reminded her that none of this was permanent. He would eventually go back to Greendale, the one place she could not follow. Greendale meant Edward and he would never let her escape a third time. An onslaught of memories of him dragged her down a spiraling path. Panic welled up in her throat as her thoughts jumped to her sister. She licked her finger and drew a circle on the window, using the reflection as a makeshift mirror. Hilda appeared, still tucked away in bed and asleep in her bedroom in England. Zelda exhaled her relief and silently thanked Satan that Edward hadn’t done anything while her guard was down the last couple nights. She waved her hand and the image disappeared, she pulled the sheet tighter around her and was admonishing herself for continuing to let Edward get to her when warm arms encircled her and startled her.

“You should be asleep, dearest.” She leaned against him and continued to stare out the window, letting the falling snowflakes calm her.

“As should you.”

“Penny for your thoughts?” He couldn’t see her face but knew she’d be rolling her eyes.

“They are worth more than that.” She felt rather than heard his laugh.

Her faraway stare and rigid posture worried him. It was a look that she reserved for one man and one man only. If his guess was right, she needed distracting and quickly. “Come back to bed.”

“I can’t sleep,” she sighed.

‘I don’t recall mentioning anything about going to sleep.” He turned her away from the window and caught her smiling. There’s my girl he thought, taking her hands in his. The sheet fell from her shoulders and the backlight of the moon turned her skin to alabaster. Her ink black nightgown hugged her figure and he rested his hand on her lower back, rubbing circles into the fine silk as he pulled her into a slow waltz. He hummed softly in her ear as they swayed. At his silent command music began playing from the walls, she was a tad reluctant but eventually caved and placed her hand on his shoulder. He led her around the room as though it were a grand ballroom, dodging furniture as they went.

She recognized the song and looked up at him. He had a knowing smile on his face. The last time they had danced to this song they had been halfway across the world, practically a lifetime ago. Faustus was a marvelous dancer but he rarely danced anymore. They had only ever danced together in gilded halls amongst mortal nobles or at the formal coven events. Her form broke down as she started giggling at the absurdity of waltzing around his hotel room in a nightgown while he was in his boxers. 

He twirled her out of his arms and as she spun, he couldn’t help laughing with her. The carefree smile on her face was a rare sight. Zelda glowed whenever she danced, and tonight was no exception. The music changed and he switched their steps to another dance he knew she'd remember. A light flush crept onto her cheeks. He knew she was recalling the rather scandalous tango the two of them had performed at the wedding of...he didn't even remember whose wedding it was. That had been the night Edward had finally caught onto them. He'd thrown quite the fit; forbidding the two of them from seeing each other. Faustus had returned home to find her waiting in his bed that night. 

As their legs intertwined, he pulled her closer. Her hips rolled against him as their noses briefly touched before she turned in his arms so her back was flush against him as they moved past the settee again. He spun her before wrapping his arms around her once more. Her hand ran down his chest while her lips came within inches of his. He lifted and turned her before she could pull away, deviating from their original dance.

Time stopped when they danced together, his only desire was more of this, more of her. A discrete wave of his hand slowed the music and she moved in closer to him.

His hand on her back the only thing reminding her this wasn’t a dream. She tucked her head under his chin and just breathed him in. She didn’t know how long they stood there just swaying but eventually, the music began fading out. In a moment of playfulness, he dipped her and kissed her soundly. Her hand cupped his cheek as her tongue probed his lips, needing to redo the kiss from that morning. He didn’t disappoint. His lips were gentle but insistent, reclaiming her and forcing all thoughts of anyone out of her head.

Though he didn’t want to let her go, his lungs protested the lack of oxygen. He stood her back up but kept his forehead pressed against hers as he breathed in her intoxicating perfume. When he reopened his eyes his favorite shade of green stared back at him. They’d ended up back by the wall of windows and with a strength, he hadn’t known she possessed she pinned him against them. The look of pure lust on her face took him back to their Academy days. It had been a while since he’d seen her animalistic side at full bore. Her fingers slipped through his hair before crushing her lips to his. The icy window at his back and her soft warmth pressed against his front left his skin tingling. Faustus’ hands went to her hips and pulled her closer while his nails left marks for tomorrow. He smiled despite her furious kiss; she would be getting her glamour practice in this week.

One of her legs hooked around his hip, eliminating any space between them. She didn’t know how he was the only warlock that drove her absolutely insane, but frankly, she didn’t care. This was what she had wanted wasn’t it, him? She melded her body to his and broke the kiss to readjust. He seemed to be in no hurry to go any further than just making out even though his erection was already pressing against her thigh. Instead of recapturing his lips she nipped his earlobe and huskily whispered in his ear “Don’t you want me?” His grip on her raised leg tightened.

“Always.” 

She kissed him harshly before biting his lip. “Then prove it.”

His smile flashed wickedly in the firelight as he lifted her other leg. The desk was closer than the bed, he set her down on the desktop. It would be just like old times. He spread her thighs to hitch up the hem of her short nightgown. Her eyes stayed on him as her nails traced down his body. The fireplace was the only light in the room and it illuminated her hair in a hellish red halo. Her hands reached the waistband of his boxers and made short work of them. 

She watched his face as he entered her, his eyes dark and serious, she practically licked her lips at the sight of him. As he thrust into her, his hands gripped her thighs, digging into the flesh. 

Her lips were rough, biting him as much as she was kissing him, and he responded in kind. Whenever her lips weren’t on his skin her breath was punctuated by hard moans that spurred him on. This was nothing like the slow sex they had enjoyed earlier. It was carnal plain and simple, she was trying to get lost in him and forget, and he was happy to be used. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back so he could get her lips on his again. When he released her, her breath was shallow on his face. Maintaining the furious pace was quickly wearing him out but with her short nails digging into his shoulders, he wasn’t about to stop. 

His hands trailed up her thighs and around her behind, pulling her closer to the edge of the desk. She gasped as he thrust deeper inside her. A shadow covered most of her face but he could see her biting her lip. Her breath began to hitch just as he began to feel his own climax approaching. She sank her teeth into his neck to muffle her cries. The bite was painful but he grunted in pleasure. If she kept that up, he was going to finish earlier than he wanted to.

It wouldn’t take much additional pressure to break the skin and she was tempted to leave a more permanent mark on him. A reminder of who he belonged to, but coherent thought ceased as tremors of pleasure swept through her and light flooded her vision.

He pounded into her with increased vigor as he felt her on the verge of climaxing. The pressure on his jugular ended and her voice was a strangled cry as she orgasmed around him. Her legs pressed against his hips and he came inside her. The muscles in her legs relaxed under his fingertips, and he caught himself on the desk, unsure how long his legs were going to continue to hold him up. His forehead rested on her collarbone as they both struggled to catch their breath. 

Once her chest stopped heaving, she began running her fingers through his hair until he looked up at her again. She slid off the desk and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her lips were soft on his. “Thank you, Faustus.” She released him and he sank into the desk chair, steepling his fingers as he watched her sashay to the bathroom. The light flicked on and he watched her silhouette slip off the nightgown and provocatively drop it in the doorway before disappearing. The shower turned on and he smirked but took another minute or two to recover before getting up to join her.

Her body was largely obscured by steam in the large glass shower. Faustus opened the door to her washing her legs and she looked over her shoulder at him. She moved closer to him as he joined her under the spray. "You certainly took your time." He took the bar of soap from her and started lathering up his hands.

"What can I say, you took my breath away." He motioned for her to turn around.

She turned quickly before he could see the blush spread across her cheeks. "Still not an excuse," she mumbled while lifting her hair so he could wash her back and shoulders. After he finished, he ran his hands up her sides and wrapped them around to squeeze her breasts, unwilling to keep fighting her. She indulged him a moment longer before grabbing the shampoo bottle and washing her hair. He began washing up when a thought came to his head.

"Zelda?" She turned to look at him again. How quickly he had gotten used to spending his evenings with her. "Tomorrow my father's company is having an event, and I am forced to go in his stead. You are welcome to sleep here but I will be late." He was almost afraid to ask the next question. "Unless you'd like to—" Those damn green eyes stared intently him. He’d just thoroughly fucked her on his desk why was he still afraid to ask her out? His looked away and ran a hand through his wet hair. Steeling himself he met her stare once again. "Unless you'd like to accompany me?"

She almost smiled at his nerves but knew what a massive bruise to his ego that would be so instead she stepped in front of him and kissed him sweetly. "I'd love to." 

He couldn't help the broad smile that spread across his face. They finished showering and he reached to turn the water off. Her arms wrapping around him gave him pause. Overly affectionate was never something he would associate with Zelda Spellman. He chalked it up to exhaustion, but allowed himself to enjoy it a moment before shutting the water off.

She immediately let go and began wringing out her hair as though nothing had happened. He smiled to himself and grabbed a towel. 

Once they dried off, they got back into bed. This time she wrapped herself around him immediately, not waiting for an invitation. He pulled the blanket up over them and ran his fingers through her damp hair until he felt her breathing deepen. Then he wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her hair.

"I think I'm in love with you, Zelda."


	7. Chapter 7

Faustus rose early the next morning, beating the sunrise by several hours. The files he hadn’t reviewed yesterday needed his attention. By the time the sun finally did peak over the horizon he had poured over the accounts and finished logging the latest shipping profits. The clock on the desk read just passed seven, he closed the ledger and quietly dialed the front desk. Zelda would be awake soon, and he was in dire need of coffee. After hanging up he went to the bathroom to shave and get ready.

The rustling of sheets drew his attention. He looked up in the mirror and saw her leaning on the doorframe with the blanket wrapped around her. His eyes showed the smile that didn’t touch his lips, he set the straight razor down, despite shaving cream still covering his jaw. “Good morning, Zelda.” She stifled a yawn. “You really should get some more sleep.” He resumed shaving while she continued to watch him. He wiped off the lingering dots of shaving cream from his face and turned to look at her directly. Seeing him leaning against the sink had an almost magnetic attraction for her, she dropped the soft duvet and sashayed over to him. When she was close enough, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. His blue eyes held an emotion so intense she looked away; she didn’t know what the look meant but was too afraid to ask. To resolve some of the tension she reached up and delicately touched the dark bruise on his neck.

“It appears someone will be wearing a high-collar to the office today.” The intensity in his eyes dissipated and he chuckled lightly,

“That is implying I care to hide it.” There was a knock at the door and since he at least had on a pair of pajama pants he left her to get breakfast. That look in his eye perplexed her, she mulled on it while looking for her abandoned nightgown, but came no closer to figuring it out. Likely it was nothing and dismissed it. The nightgown lay in a rumpled pile of silk on the floor and was in no state to be worn again. Instead, she just pulled on a black leotard and was about to start readying herself for the day when the alluring scent of coffee drew her out of the bathroom. He handed her a mug and she sipped on it gratefully. He leaned against the desk with his own cup and she was admiring his fit torso when he set his mug down and pulled her closer,

“Now, where were we?” His fingertips danced up her thigh as she tried not to spill the elixir of life in her hands.

“The large hickey on your neck,” she said dryly, though secretly pleased, he’d have that mark for a long time.

“Right.” His eyes roamed over the high cut of her leotard and smirked, “You’re not exactly unmarked either, dearest.”

She took another sip of her coffee, eyes boring into his. With a single blink, the claw marks and bruises vanished, drawing out another chuckle. Picking up his coffee again he walked over to the closet and selected a starched white shirt with a stiff collar that would cover most of the bruise. Glamours had never been his strong suit and in his opinion, they required far too much energy to maintain. The mortals he employed could think whatever they liked, it didn’t matter to him. He had no interest in the company and had no intentions of keeping it. There were more important things he wanted to pursue, the ravishing creature across the room for example. He looked over at Zelda and smiled as he dressed. Her eyes were closed against the morning sun as she basked in its warmth while finishing her coffee. Tying up his tie he couldn’t help being in a good mood. After last night’s winter storm, it was shaping up to be a beautiful day.

The soles of his shoes were loud on the hardwood but she kept her eyes shut knowing he was headed back over to her. The warm feeling of the sun on her skin slipped away as his lips met hers and she melded into him instantly. He quickly slipped his tongue in her mouth, evidently forgetting he needed to leave soon.

Pretending to be unaffected by the kiss she broke it off. She sipped her coffee and taunted him with her eyes.

“Have a good day at work. Give Margaret my regards.” Her voice was sickly sweet, and dripping with sarcasm. He drew her in close, his hands massaging into her ass. This time she was unable to hide her pleasure and hastily put the mug down before she dropped it.

“You never give up, do you?” He gave her a peck on the lips. “There isn’t a chance in Hell I will think about anything but you today, Ms. Spellman.”

The corners of her lips drew into a smirk before she went up on her toes to kiss him again. “Good.” She picked up her coffee and sat at the desk while he grabbed his files and put them in a leather bag. 

He turned to go but stopped when she loudly cleared her throat. With one look at her cocked eyebrow, he knew what he’d forgotten and bent to kiss her cheek to rectify the situation. “See you tonight,” he said as he grabbed his coat and left the room

After the door shut behind him, all she could think about was this strange twist in their relationship. They’d been around each other for centuries but this was a new level of comfort. She had no words to describe the feeling but as she sat there in his chair, her bright smile said it all. 

A single slip of paper remained on the desk with the address to the venue. It appeared they would be going even further uptown. She still had plenty of time before she needed to go to the theatre for rehearsal so she drank the last sip of her coffee and apparated back to her apartment to select which dress he’d be ripping off her later that night.

\---

Faustus stood around his business partners drinking and wishing the event was over, he tolerated mortals but having to spend an evening in their company was grating his nerves. At least if Zelda were there, he would have something nice to look at. One of his more useless partners droned on about his recent trip to Europe, trying to impress his date who was notably not his wife. When his father had directed him to attend this event, he had thought it would be a different type of party. This was more of a gentleman’s club gathering than anything else. He took another sip of his bourbon, at least his father hadn’t skimped on the booze. Faustus figured that would be the only way he would make it through this evening. 

One of the blondes that had been touted in on the arm of a minor partner was eying him up and seductively biting her lip. He almost rolled his eyes, keeping the bored expression on his face he stared her down until she looked away. There were plenty of other guests that he didn’t recognize but they seemed to be enjoying themselves, it was a shame he couldn't go join them instead. A low whistle pulled his attention back to his partners. The whole group was looking at something behind him, he turned but he should have known. Zelda was descending the marble staircase in a long navy dress, her perfect legs flashed out from a slit that nearly went to her hip. While his eyes feasted on her he internally groaned. Now he had to survive the evening without dragging her home or killing every man that looked at her. The man who’s whistled quickly asked the group, “Who is that?”

“My date, now back off Travis or I’ll tell your wife about Tampa.” Travis paled and went back to ogling one of the waitresses across the parlor. Faustus left the group quickly knowing that none of them would heed his warning and walked to intercept her.

“Satan, Zelda. Are you trying to kill me?” Her light laughter set her soft curls bouncing around her shoulders as she finished descending the stairs.

“What no hello?”

“Forgive me." He pulled her hand to his lips. "Good evening, you look beautiful.” She leaned into him and whispered,

“Am I allowed to kiss you here or—” He interrupted her by placing a not so chaste kiss on her lips. Her eyes fluttered closed and his arms wrapped around her back. When she opened them again, she realized they’d drawn more attention than she’d anticipated. “We’re being watched.”

Ignoring the few stares he led her away from the center of the room. He didn’t want to introduce her to the lowlifes his father called business partners so instead steered them towards the bar. Two whiskeys later they settled on a more secluded divan. At this point he didn’t care if he wasn’t being the most gracious host, leaving her alone dressed like that was not an option. But as usual, privacy was not something mortals understood and his partners wandered towards them in a cluster of ill-fitting tuxedos and receding hairlines. All of them only had eyes for her and he snaked his hand around her waist territorially. He'd be the first to admit he hadn’t been the most respectful man as far as women were concerned, often using them purely for his own pleasure but now having to watch Zelda be on the receiving end of that kind of attention made his skin crawl. 

Faustus’ warm hand on her side was comforting as she pasted a smile on her face for the old overweight businessmen looking at her like a piece of meat. While Faustus curtly introduced her to them, she considered if she could hex the four of them at once and whether Faustus would care if she did. She had no interest in them and stopped listening. The women that accompanied were no better. They'd been all but forgotten the moment she’d stepped into the room. All four men wore wedding bands but the girls with them didn’t. Escorts then. She almost rolled her eyes, how very stereotypical. One them was staring at Faustus intently and his fingers pressed harder into her side. Part of her wanted to sit in his lap just to force the woman to acknowledge he was hers, but these were his business partners. Instead, she set her hand on his knee and glared at the blonde. 

Faustus finished the whiskey in his glass and used getting it refilled as an excuse to escape. Instead of heading to the bar though they went over to the other side of the room and pretended to listen to the small string quartet that was playing. His arm was still wrapped tightly around her. Normally he was possessive but something seemed to have gotten into him tonight. She took a sip of her still full glass.

“Interesting choice of venue,” she said noting all of the women milling around some serving drinks, others were like the two she’d just met. Arm candy for the wealthier guests.

“It wasn’t my choice, I’m afraid. As I said there was a reason my mother and father didn’t get along.” His hand on her waist started trailing lower at a glacial pace as though he hoped she wouldn’t notice. Once his fingers reached the split of the dress, she figured it was time to stop him before all of his employees received a free show. She turned out of his arms and grasped his hand leading him to a currently abandoned section of the bar.

He watched her slide into one of the bar chairs, crossing her legs. The skirt fell open at the slit showing plenty of her creamy skin. At the moment the other guests had their attention focused elsewhere so he risked smoothing his hand up her exposed thigh. “I fail to see how this is any different from where we were over there,” he whispered silkily in her ear. She discretely turned her head so there was no chance of anyone hearing her but him.

“Because now if your hand slides up any father you will be the only one privy to the fact that I am not wearing any undergarments.” Taking that as an invitation he moved his hand up to her hip bone. 

Unfortunately, it was then that he saw one of his lawyers approaching. Faustus considered forcing him away but he figured there was a greater likelihood of getting more time alone with her if he dealt with James quickly. Faustus leaned against the bar so it looked like nothing untoward had occurred and waited. When he arrived, Faustus shook James’ hand and quickly introduced him to Zelda. James leaned closer to him and quietly muttered that he had finished the task Faustus had given him. Faustus pursed his lips but now wanted to hear what the man had to say. He gave Zelda an apologetic glance. 

“It’s work, go.” She shooed them off and readjusted her dress so at least one of her legs was covered. She waved the bartender over to refill her glass. 

“You were fortunate.” Zelda looked up from her whiskey to the tall blonde from earlier who’d just stepped up to the bar.

“I beg your pardon?”

The woman picked up her martini and gestured vaguely over Zelda’s shoulder, Zelda followed her gaze and saw Faustus. “Well before you got here, he was far more liberal with his affections.” The blonde’s pink lips were curled into a taunting sneer. “We were all getting a piece, he’s quite the generous lover, isn’t he?” Zelda bristled “But now with you here it looks like he wants to pretend that wasn’t the case. So, who are you? The wife?”

Zelda narrowed her eyes. The woman had to be lying, Faustus wouldn’t— But then she caught herself. Faustus most certainly would. He was a man who enjoyed life’s base pleasures after all and evidently any dangled piece of flesh in a short dress would do. Zelda’s scathing reply caught in her throat. She wasn’t sure whether Faustus had or hadn’t but refused to break in front of this bimbo. “The girlfriend actually."

The blonde scoffed, “Right. Girlfriend. Men like him don’t keep girlfriends, they marry and still move on. There's not a faithful one among them. They have too much money for that and they don’t like being told no. You might have come out on top tonight but he’s no different.” She gave Zelda a pitying smile, “So good luck.” Zelda rolled her eyes and kept a mask of calm disinterest on her face as the blonde sauntered away. 

She sipped her glass of whiskey. If the blonde hadn’t been echoing Zelda’s own fears, she would have been inclined to just hex the tramp and move on. But now images of Faustus with all of the other girls filled her head. The cynical voice in her mind kept reminding her that she was nothing to him, just another conquest. The night before had been beyond perfect but now it seemed he’d just been pulling the wool firmly over her eyes. No matter how different he’d acted towards her in the past week, he seemed to have snapped out of it and gone back to his old self. It shouldn’t even have mattered; monogamy was never something she and Faustus practiced, but now she realized she wanted it from him. Unwelcome pain spread through her chest at the mere thought of others having what she’d begun to believe was hers. She blinked back a tear.

They’d always toed a dangerous line, never stepping over to a relationship for a reason. Their game had rules and she’d broken them, she let her guard down and let him in. The smug voices in her head repeated I told you so over and over again. She’d willingly forgotten who he really was the instant he’s shown her something softer. The kind of relationship she wanted with him just wasn’t possible. Monogamy wasn’t in his nature. It would never just be them; there would always be another woman. Then it hit her, she was the other woman. His marriage negotiations were ongoing in Greendale while he was in New York sleeping with her. Zelda had believed herself above the blonde, but now she understood they were the same. She might even be worse; at the end of the day, the blonde was just doing her job. Zelda, on the other hand, had spent the week pretending Faustus was hers when in reality she was just warming his bed until he married Constance. Despite his apparent infidelity, she coveted what Constance had. Even though she hated herself for it. If the blonde was right well… She downed the whiskey in her glass trying to drown out her thoughts as they spiraled.

The evening’s pain was turning to anger. She wanted to wring his neck for fucking that whore but she saved her rage for herself for coming back to him. Why Hell did she still want him so badly? The bartender refilled her glass but she left it untouched as she decided to do what she should have done days ago. Leave him.

As she turned from the bar one of Faustus’ partners whose name she hadn’t bothered to learn approached her. His words didn’t register in her rage clouded brain, but they were said in a tone she recognized. After all, she learned it from Faustus. The deep drawl filled with arrogance and the belief that anything could be bought and disposed of at will. She glared at the prick, getting some satisfaction from the way he recoiled at the wrath in her eyes. She held up a hand and muttered a hex that would make it very difficult for him to cheat on his wife in the foreseeable future before turning toward the exit.

She didn’t see Faustus anywhere, her brain immediately jumped to the conclusion he was off snogging one of the waitresses in the coat closet. The image stung and she quickened her pace until the marble stairs stretched before her. Thoughts of how happy she’d been on those stairs mere hours ago made swallowing difficult. As she mounted the first steps humiliation burned on her cheeks and her rage was bubbling up into tears, that would not do. She ran a finger under her eyes to keep them from spilling over. 

“Zelda? Wait!” He’d been finishing up his conversation with the lawyer when he saw her leave the bar and now, she looked like she was about to run off. Travis was standing stock still in the middle of the room, eyes wide with disbelief. So, she’d hexed him, he didn’t know what Travis had said but he’d kill him if he said something to hurt her. At the sound of his voice, she paused to briefly look at him before practically running up the rest of the steps and out the door. He’d never had to chase a woman in his life but his business partners be damned. He took the stairs three steps at a time, not caring if the entire company was watching him. As she pushed open the heavy wooden door the wind caught it and threw it open.

All she had on was her dress; she’d freeze to death. He caught her at the base of the outside steps and grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“Don’t touch me!” She hissed. Her wrist instantly turned white hot in his grip. He released her, not quite able to believe she’d burned him.

“Zelda, please!” He had no idea what was going on, sure she might be pissed off at the imbeciles he worked with but there seemed to be something else going on here. She spun to face him and he recoiled at the pain in her eyes.

“I’m not some harlot you can tout around! I’m done.” Where on earth had she gotten that idea? Everything had been better than fine when he’d left her. He stopped himself, that was his first mistake ever leaving her side. That had always been his biggest mistake. 

She laughed humorlessly. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to think it was different this time.” He reached out towards her again,

“Zelda I—” She cut him off.

“Save it Faustus. I don’t want to hear it.” The clack of her high heels rang loudly in his ears as she walked away. He ran his hands through his hair in a panic. If she wouldn’t listen to him or explain what was happening, he couldn’t fix it. They were supposed to be going back to his hotel where he would finally get her out of that dress and back in his arms where she belonged. He looked back at her trying to figure out how to end this waking nightmare when she wrapped her bare arms around herself. Clearly, her pent-up fury was no longer keeping her warm. He slipped off his tuxedo jacket and ran to catch her. Her head turned at the sound of his dress shoes crunching on the road salt and looked to be about to tell him off when he slipped the jacket around her shoulders. He took a breath and moved to stand in front of her, careful not to touch her but making sure he could prevent her from walking off again.

“I am sorry Zelda. It was not my intention for you to feel like I was using you the way my business partners treat their whores. I invited you tonight because I wanted to spend time with you outside of my hotel room. As a couple.” Anger was still sparking in her eyes and he wasn’t sure if opening up to her had been his best move, but it was the only thing he could think of. 

Part of her was shocked that he would actually apologize, his desire to be a couple publicly wasn’t nearly the confession she expected. Both of them were so out of character they had to be lies. His silver tongue wouldn’t save him this time. He wouldn’t give up his philandering ways, he was still Faustus, a fact she had been daftly ignoring for days.

The only part she didn’t understand was why this hurt so badly, she’d had other men and he’d certainly had other girls, but now she cared. She needed to stop pretending no matter how much it broke her. His eyes were soft and pleading, a look she had never seen on him before, “Please believe me.” She shook her head.

“You know Faustus these past few days were so perfect you had me believing there was something here.” She scoffed. “You should try out for Broadway, you’re a better actor than me.” She turned away heading back to the street where a cab had just stopped. Without a backward glance, she got in and shut the door. Her name died on his lips as the cab pulled away. New York City continued to turn around him but all the lights and sounds rang hollow now. He’d just lost her. Again.


	8. Chapter 8

The maze of New York City swallowed up her taxi. His eyes lingered on the street corner where the cab’s taillights disappeared despite knowing Zelda Spellman was not the kind of woman who came running back. He ran his fingers through his hair. Before her, he hadn’t thought it possible for a heart to actually hurt. Now he, unfortunately, knew it to be true. Though it wasn’t the first time she’d had this effect, this time the pain was tenfold. The plans he’d imagined, crumbled and began to taunt him. He pinched the bridge of his nose as his head began to pound. Faustus turned back to the hall, already dreading going back in. The first thing he saw when he walked in was Travis and the rest of his executive group and decided he was done with mortal pettiness for the evening and went to get his coat and hat. When he turned to get her white fur coat, his business partners stood at the doorway. 

“Come on Faustus, cheer up, there are plenty of broads to go around.” Faustus clenched his fist, almost punching Travis out for labeling Zelda as some broad, comparable to the girls these men toted around. As if she was someone who could be replaced. 

“You are lucky I haven’t fired all of you over your abhorrent behavior, and I don’t mean just tonight.” He put his hat on. “Now I am leaving and I strongly suggest you do the same. If you were smart, you’d go home to the women you married. Then again I don’t believe your combined intellects would be capable of conceiving a notion like that.” He pushed through them and walked out.

Back out in the cold, his thoughts returned to his own troubles with a very specific woman. The main issue being she wouldn’t be there for him to come home to. The wind bit at his cheeks and threatened to blow the hat off his head. Though the hotel was over a mile away he decided the walk would be due penance for letting her go. Thoughts of her spun through his head as he analyzed every part of the evening. He still wasn’t entirely sure what happened with her tonight. Somehow it involved him and not in a good way. The soft fur in his hand was lifeless and cold, the very opposite of how it had felt when he’d pressed her against the storefront the first night they’d been out. Only the dismal weather was the same, but now it matched his mood. By the time he reached the hotel, he was shivering and he was no closer to figuring out why she fled. The clerk behind the desk looked familiar and she smiled sweetly at him,

“No Lady Blackwood tonight?” Her words hit him like a punch. Just another thing to twist the knife in deeper he supposed. Not knowing how to respond or even if he was capable of speech, he mutely walked to the elevators and wished she hadn’t recognized him. 

He was still shaking when he reached his room, though he wasn’t entirely convinced it was just from the cold. He stripped out of his tuxedo and stepped into a scalding shower. The water and his mind began to play tricks on him. Memories of her hands on him rose up and felt so real he almost believed she’d come back, only the have his hopes dashed when he opened his eyes. The night before felt like a cruel joke now. His headache continued to throb and he pressed his head against the cool tile and closed his eyes again. He didn’t know how long he stayed like that but when he got out steam cloaked the entire bathroom. Forgoing drying his hair he pulled on his robe and went to pour himself a drink but his foot slid on something. When he reached down, he found her nightgown. The smell of her was faint but still lingered, soothing and painful at the same time. He folded it carefully and placed it on the stack of her clothes in the closet. 

The bourbon across the room beckoned and he poured himself a glass and downed it, the burn doing nothing to assuage the pain in his chest. He took the decanter with him and sat in one of the armchairs, but after refilling his glass he found he couldn’t bring himself to try and drink his sorrows away.

\---

Once she made it back to her flat Zelda didn’t even bother taking off her dress and immediately fell back into her bed. Tears welled up in her eyes, which only served to fuel her anger. She couldn’t believe she was stupid enough to actually have feelings for Faustus Blackwood. An hour ago, all she’d wanted was to get away from him, but now she wished she was still holed away in his room, safe and detached from the outside world. After so many nights in his, her bed felt cold and almost unfamiliar. Vinegar Tom jumped up beside her and attempted to lick her face; she fondled his ears but it did not have the same calming effect it usually did. It had been a while since she’d seen her familiar when she came home earlier to get ready, he hadn’t been there.

Her other options for comfort were less appealing, although the cat-o’-nine-tails sounded appropriate. Proper punishment for opening up to the one person who could evidently still hurt her. At the mere thought of flagellation Vinegar Tom climbed on top of her and pinned her down. Preventing her from getting up even to undress. The beagle stared down at her not believing she was getting up to change and not go find the flogger. She stopped trying to stand and he settled down, curling up against her. Though she still wanted to take off her dress, there was a twinge of sadness at the thought of having to unzip it herself. She never dressed for a man but she had to admit she’d picked this one because she knew Faustus wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her. For now, the dress could stay on, Vinegar Tom growled whenever she attempted to do anything more than lift her arm to pet him so she didn’t have much choice in the matter anyway.

Vinegar Tom continued to try and soothe his agitated mistress but her thoughts of Faustus were keeping her up. She tried to close her eyes but all she saw was him and that stupid blonde. It irritated her that she didn’t even know the woman’s name, then perhaps she could take her anger out on something. It was foolish of her to be upset, but despite everything that happened this evening she still craved him. When the rest of her world fell into chaos, she’d always found an outlet in him. Now he was the problem, and she didn’t know what to do. Vinegar Tom clambered to his feet and hopped off the bed. She sat up to watch him and groaned when he dragged Faustus’ jacket into her bedroom. “No, I am not going back there.” He gave a low harrumph. “He decided to take a mortal to bed, how is it my fault?” Another growl. “Of course, I am sure. It wouldn’t exactly be out of character for him.” Vinegar Tom licked her hand. “I did not jump to conclusions. What would you know you weren’t even there?” The beagle dragged his coat up onto the bed and dropped it in her lap. She rubbed her fingers on the smooth fabric, contemplating if she should go see him. It annoyed her that even the prospect of going to see him made her feel marginally better. What the hell, she’d made plenty of other bad decisions this week, what was one more. “Fine, I’ll go.” She stood and put her heels back on and pulled his coat on again, it wasn’t the most practical fashion statement she’d ever made but breathing in his expensive cologne calmed her. “But this is it.” Vinegar Tom looked doubtful. She didn’t entirely believe her own words either, but at least she had the drive to the hotel to convince herself. 

\---

The firelight danced in his unblinking eyes. He hoped he’d simply wake up from whatever sleep demon induced nightmare this evening had become. He wanted to throw the tumbler of bourbon into a wall. Hit something and force the world to feel a fraction of the brokenness he felt at the moment. His brain continued to build scenarios trying to determine the chances that he could find her again if she decided to leave New York. In every best-case scenario, it would be years before he saw her again. Finally, he drank the bourbon in a shot and redressed. Letting her run off again wasn’t an option. If nothing else he wanted an explanation for her disappearing act. He pulled on a heavy cloak and left with a purposeful stride. It was only when he reached the elevators that he realized he had no idea where to look for her. He’d only seen her at the theatre and in his hotel room, she’d never mentioned where her apartment was, even vaguely. He punched the elevator button anyways and rode it down.

Despite the late hour a cab conveniently pulled up to the hotel just as he stepped out of the lobby. Faustus beelined for it. When the rear door opened and Zelda stepped out, he didn’t quite believe his eyes. She stalled upon seeing him. “Zelda,” he breathed. 

The cab sped away leaving them alone on the street. Her gaze raked over him and a flicker of anger reignited in her eyes. She swallowed thickly, “I see you are headed back out. I only came to return this.” Despite the frigid temperatures she slipped off his jacket and held it out to him, still not meeting his eyes. He didn’t reach for the coat.

“Please talk to me.” He begged.

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Zelda, please.”

“You should go, you look like you have someone waiting for you.” He grabbed her arm instead of his coat.

“Zelda I was coming to find you!” 

“Me?” she shook out of his grip.

“Yes, you. Why are you upset? I don’t even know what I did wrong.” Her eyes flashed again, as usual, this wasn’t how he’d wanted this to go. 

“You wouldn’t would you.” She spun away from him and started to apparate away. He grabbed onto her just as she blinked out of existence. 

Wherever they had ended up was shrouded in darkness, the only light came in through a small window and it did nothing to illuminate the gloom. The walls glittered eerily, mirrors, he realized. He could still see his breath and he worried that she still wasn’t wearing a coat. His eyesight continued to adjust and saw that the large room was bare aside from two long ballet barres. Though he couldn’t see her eyes just yet, they were surely burning holes in him. “Faustus, let go of me.”

“No. Will you please stop trying to run away for one second and talk to me? At this point, I think I deserve some kind of explanation.” She scoffed 

“You deserve? You deserve? You are an ass.” She pried his hand off her but didn’t disappear. She retreated to the other side of the abandoned dance studio, it was time to stop lying to herself, she wasn’t just upset she was heartbroken. He’d spent the week promising her everything she wanted, him, and then discarded her for some pretty flesh. She paced the abandoned dance studio, trying desperately to keep herself together, she hadn’t thought seeing him would be this difficult. Her shoulders began to shake and tears sprung to her eyes. His footfalls echoed off the walls as he walked up behind her. She whirled on him, “Why wasn’t I enough?”

His brow furrowed in confusion, “Enough? Zelda, you are more than enough.” He shook his head, “Will you please tell me what is going on?” 

The tears in her eyes hadn’t fallen yet but she didn’t want him to see them and she turned her back to him and leaned on one of the barres. “The blonde at the party. You and her. Before I arrived.” She needn’t have bothered with turning around she could hear the cracked sob in her voice. Not that her words made any sense anyway, right now she wasn’t even thinking in full sentences

“The blonde?” And then it all clicked, she’d been at the bar with Zelda and must have said something. “Zelda nothing happened between myself and whoever that blonde was” The shadow of her eyes looked at him in the mirror, before turning to face him. The dim moonlight reflected off the tears on her face and his heart broke all over again. No wonder she hated him right now. She looked like she wanted to believe him, but he knew her better than that, she didn’t trust words. At this point, he would crawl through glass to show her how much he cared. He tentatively stepped forward, closing the distance between them. When she didn’t back away, he almost sighed in relief. He tucked a strand of her strawberry hair behind her ear and tilted her head up. 

“Zelda, I have been entirely faithful to you for some time. No blonde, no Margaret. Just you. You can search my memories, torture me, whatever you need. I did not sleep with any of those escorts, I only had eyes for you.” She turned her head down and lowered her lashes as tears fell anew. He held his hands out palms up, offering himself up to her. The intimacy of sharing his memories scared her a bit but she put her hands on his. He lowered the wards around his mind and the evening’s events unfolded in front of her eyes from Faustus’ perspective. The night started in his hotel where he agonized over which tux to wear and redoing his bowtie several times. Seeing him check the mirror no fewer than six times before he walked out the door almost made her smile. 

Then she stood in a small circle with his business partners. In his memory, the voices were muffled as Faustus tuned them out and repeatedly checked the door waiting for her to step through it. Once he went back to pretending to listen to the story, all of his partners stopped talking and gaped at something over Faustus’ shoulder. He turned and she saw herself descending the stairs and was hit with an onslaught of his emotions, lust not being at the top of the list surprised her since he typically had the emotional depth of a shot of whiskey. His possessive claim after someone asked who she was didn’t annoy her like it usually did when a man decided she belonged to them, instead it brought her a certain amount of joy. For her own sake, she watched through the rest of the evening, enjoying the dirty thoughts that ran through his mind when they were at the bar and his hand was sliding up her leg. When she knew she was about to storm out, she let go of his hands, but he pulled them back.

They were standing outside in the cold and then she drove away. His raw emotions radiated through her, clenching her heart and taking her breath away to the point she thought her knees would collapse. Only then did Faustus let go of her hands “Do you see? There was no time for anyone else, my thoughts were only ever on you.” Still breathless from his memories she didn’t know how to respond to him 

He continued, “I want you and only you,” _I think I always have_ he almost added but didn't want to scare her off. She still stood there, arms bare, she wasn’t complaining but he didn’t know how she wasn’t shivering. He took his heavy cloak off and almost handed it to her before he instead looped it around her shoulders himself. He fastened it at her throat and adjusted the collar so it would stay. When he went to let go her hands held onto his forearms, stopping him. She lifted her eyes to his again but stayed silent. “I’d like you back,” He whispered. He couldn’t be certain but he thought her eyes softened.

She bit her lip, contemplating it. Her body already wanted him but curiously her anxieties were silent as well. Instead, she remembered all the pleasant memories; him showing up to her show with flowers, scooping her up in her dressing room and calling her his girlfriend, waking up beside him and getting ready for work together, and dancing in his hotel room. His hand brushing her cheek brought her back to the present and to the fact she hadn’t answered his unasked question.

“Do you still want me, Zelda?” He finally asked her outright, it was a bold proposal in the wake of the evening they’d had but he was sick of avoiding the question because he was afraid of her saying no.

“Yes.” _Probably too much_ she thought.

“Can we go back to how things were?” If only it would be that simple. Her heart lay shattered after the evening’s events, in the end, she’d broken it herself but it still left a tender wound. He made her feel fragile and vulnerable, the two things she tried to avoid as much as possible.

He watched her mull it over while he sent silent prayers to the Dark Lord begging to have her come back to him, simultaneously unsure of what he would do if she said no. She moved slightly closer to him,

“Would you mind if we slowed down a bit?” Today had shaken her and she needed some time to reestablish that the Faustus she had imagined tonight was not the Faustus standing in front of her. He exhaled in relief before pulling her into his arms and resting his chin on her head.

“Of course.” He said as he pressed a kiss to her crown. “Now let’s get out of this cold.” She nodded into his chest grateful she had his coat. Her stomach rumbled unexpectedly and she pulled away from him horrified.

“Forgive me, I don’t think I have had anything to eat today but coffee and whiskey.” He wanted to roll his eyes, but instead, he focused on the important thing, getting her some actual food.

“Why didn’t you say something.” He apparated them back to the side street next to the hotel. His hands on her hips surprised her, but he was warm and she had never specified how slow they needed to take things. “Now, in that dress, I don’t think it is safe to take you anywhere but upstairs. But I am sick of room service so I’ll just have to settle for not letting you out of my sight.” He wore a flirtatious smile and she appreciated his effort to move on from the dark turn the evening had taken after the party. He slipped his tuxedo jacket on and grasped her hand. “Ready?” She nodded; a smile playing on her lips at his question. They walked down the street and stepped into a small restaurant that still had an open sign out front. They were heavily overdressed for the diner but the hostess barely batted an eye. After she seated them, she pulled out her pad of paper.

Before Zelda could ask for a menu, he ordered for them. “Two cheeseburgers, no onions. One strawberry milkshake and one vanilla.” The waitress jotted it all down and disappeared into the kitchen.

“You are a bad influence.”

“Are you only just now figuring that out?” She smiled and looked around, the little diner was empty save for them, his playfulness improved her mood immensely. It was in such stark contrast to only an hour earlier that everything before felt more and more like a bad dream. Dwelling on it wasn’t going to help anything. Instead, she tried to focus on him, touched and surprised he’d let her into his mind and most importantly grateful the succubus had lied. As she looked into his intense eyes, she was ashamed she had even believed her in the first place. She set her hand on the table, wanting to reach out and hold his but afraid it would be overstepping her own going slow rule.

“Zelda, I believe you are still allowed to touch me. It's all right.” Her cheeks colored but she placed her hand on his.

“I’m sorry I didn't trust you. You tried to tell me and I insulted you and threw your feelings in your face. I am sorry I hurt you.” She rubbed her thumb on the back of his hand.

“I appreciate your apology, though it isn’t necessary. This is new territory for us both.” He knew she would feel everything he felt when he shared his memory of her leaving. However, this was not the time to discuss it. He needed to turn the conversation back to something lighter. “I must confess I like having some guarantee that my girlfriend isn’t going to run off with another man at the drop of a hat.” He smirked to show her he was joking and she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. Faustus laced their fingers together and leaned closer to her. “Besides who knows I might have done the same thing if a guy said he’d slept with you while I was at work.” She snorted.

“You most certainly wouldn't have. You’d have dragged me back to your room to remind me why I don’t seek anyone’s company but yours.” She winked at him and leaned back as the tired waitress returned with their food.

He pulled open his burger and took the sliced pickles off and set them on her plate. “Why didn’t you ask for those off? You hate pickles.”

“Yes, but you don’t,” he stated. She took the bun off hers and added his pickles onto her burger.

“Well then. Thank you.” As they ate, he continued to study her, knowing how difficult it was for her to get out of her own head, though nothing seemed to be stopping her from scarfing down her burger.

He sipped on his vanilla milkshake, pleased with how good it tasted. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d even had one.

“Oh, the irony that your favorite flavor is vanilla.” Her red lips pulled into a sinful smirk as she teased him.

He shook his head, “We are going to have to discuss just how slow you want this to go Ms. Spellman.” His hand squeezed her knee under the table. “Because I think I’d prefer my dessert to go.”

She bit into the strawberry that had topped her shake. “I think that can be arranged.” She pulled his wallet out of his coat pocket and put cash on the table before sweeping his cloak back around her shoulders. With one last sip of his milkshake he stood and took her arm. The block back to the hotel stretched out into eternity on account of her heels,

"Is there any way you could walk a little bit faster?" Her pace immediately slowed.

"No, I don't think there is," she taunted refusing to walk any faster than her now leisurely stroll. He let go of her arm and scooped her up carrying her the rest of the way. 

"Quit squirming dearest," he said, mildly worried he might drop her. Her shrieks and laughter bounced off the walls around them. Her good mood was contagious as she periodically yelled at him to let her down.

He entered the lobby with her still in his arms and dipped his head in greeting to the desk clerk from earlier who was trying not to laugh.

"Faustus put me down!" Finally obeying her order, he set her back on her feet making sure she had her feet solidly under her before letting go. Her ears burned after she made eye contact with the desk clerk, and she firmly stayed several feet away from him as they walked to the elevator. He couldn't help the grin on his face. The elevator doors opened the instant he pressed the button and he stepped in,

"Now get over here." They were out of sight of the front desk and she willfully allowed him to grab her hand and pull her tightly against him. As the elevator door closed around them, he lifted her off the ground once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a forewarning I will likely not be updating this next week as this upcoming week is my midterms and I need to focus on those. Have a lovely day.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back, these past two weeks have been a living hell but I somehow am still breathing. Hope you enjoy this chapter and are having a good day :)

There was no waiting for the morning to come around this time. Zelda woke up after getting a few hours of sleep and glanced over at Faustus, who was still sleeping soundly. A small part of her wanted to move over and wrap around him but she couldn’t bring herself to do it, she couldn’t stay. She sighed and stretched out, finally forcing herself to get up. She slipped back into her dress and grabbed the fur coat she had abandoned at the party off the back of the desk chair. With one last look at Faustus, she apparated back to her apartment.

When she turned around Vinegar Tom was sitting and staring at her. “Don’t even start.” Turning away from her judgmental familiar, she dropped her shoes and threw the coat on the back of a chair. She hated it when he was right. She unzipped the dress and left it in a pool on the floor before stepping into a hot shower. For a while, she just stood under the stream and tried to process everything that happened last night. One thing was abundantly clear, neither of them wanted to, or even could, continue as they were. At some point, things had shifted and were different between them. Her jealousy last night hadn’t been the same minor annoyance that she'd felt after seeing another girl leave his room at the Academy, it had been a painful rage. She washed her hair and tried to calm herself by reliving his memories, relishing the feelings that had spread through him at seeing her walk down those stairs. 

She turned off the water and felt better than she had earlier, she wrapped a towel around herself and went to the kitchen to put the kettle on. Vinegar Tom seemed to have disappeared again, at least now she didn’t have to hear his “I told you so’s.” A full-dress rehearsal was scheduled for that morning and while she waited for the water to boil she went to pull the delicate white dress from the first dance number out of her closet. She pulled her hair up with practiced ease and put on her makeup so she didn’t look as tired as she felt. At last, the kettle started to whistle and she sat down to enjoy her tea before she needed to get dressed and leave. 

\---

Faustus woke up to the sun streaming into the room, he kept his eyes shut against the bright light and unconsciously reached for her. His eyes snapped open when his hand met nothing but empty sheets. He threw off the covers and stalked to the bathroom but she wasn’t there either. She’d slipped off into the night, just like she used to. It was a small thing, and he tried to rationalize his thoughts, but it still irked him. He had fallen into something resembling a routine with her for the past few days. The little moments like getting to wake up next to her were the things he craved, even more than the sex. It had begun feeling more like an actual relationship as opposed to the casual flings they shared before the world pulled them apart again. 

He ran his hand down his face tiredly. He had no idea how she was able to do the things that she did on how little sleep they were getting, and she slept even less than him. The hotel phone rang loudly and despite knowing it wouldn’t be her his face fell at the sound of the gruff accented voice of his chauffeur.

“What?” Faustus snapped after failing to listen to what the man had said the first time.

“Sir you have a board meeting at nine, you asked me to remind you. Will we be dropping off Ms. Spellman on the way in?”

“No, we are going straight to the office.” Faustus frowned at the clock, “I will be down shortly.” Without waiting for an answer, he hung up the phone. He dressed quickly, forgoing a shave and only quickly brushing through his hair before heading down to meet his driver.

\---

Following his meeting, he walked back to his office and locked the door behind him. He laid out the legal files on his desk and began combing through them, his annoyance with the mortal legal system mounting with every page. After he had finally squared away what he needed he grabbed his coat and left, the office had already emptied itself for lunch so he thankfully didn’t have to share the elevator on his way down. Gerald was parked on the curb waiting for him. Faustus climbed in the back and was about to tell him where they were going when Gerald beat him to it. 

“To the theatre sir?” Faustus almost laughed.

“Am I becoming that predictable?”

“Of course not, sir.” After a brief pause, he added, “I just recognize the look.”

“The look?”

“She has you wrapped around her finger and there is no place you’d rather be.” He ran a hand through his hair, that summed it up fairly well actually. He settled back into the seat to watch the lunch rush creep by.

They eventually pulled into the back alleyway behind the theatre and Faustus leaned forward, “Gerald, take the rest of the day off.” The chauffeur gave him a knowing smile in the rearview mirror and Faustus stepped out of the car. He entered the theatre but didn’t find her in her dressing room and the main stage was empty, fearing he’d missed her he exited out the main door and found her attempting to hail a cab.

“Zelda!” She turned and saw him, a grin spreading on her face as she walked over. Without so much as a hello, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It took a moment to register before he responded in kind. Normally she hated any public displays of affection, but here she was despite all the mortals hurrying by them, not that he going to complain. She pulled back so he could maneuver them out of the center of the sidewalk. Her arms were still around him as he leaned against the building, she looked tired but her smile hadn’t left her face yet. 

“Hello, Faustus.”

“You’re in a good mood today.” She hummed in agreement but didn’t move from her spot against him. He looked down at her upturned face. “I missed you this morning. Does taking things slowly mean we are going back to you disappearing on me in the middle of the night?” He kept his tone light so she wouldn’t know that the question wasn’t entirely a joke. Her smile spread as she held onto his chin and turned his head, pretending to study him.

“Oh, is that why you haven’t shaved or done your hair. Is this what being without me does to you?”

“If I say yes will you stop leaving?”

“I don’t know, I kind of like the scruff.” She teasingly ran her thumb along his jaw. 

Knowing he wasn’t going to get a serious answer out of her like this he decided to change tactics. “Can I interest you in some lunch?”

“You may.” Despite the sunny day, she missed his warmth when they started walking down the street. She wrapped an arm around him while they avoided New Yorkers hurrying back to offices. He walked her through several back alleys before they reappeared in the sunshine and stepped into a small pub. Entering was rather jarring, the atmosphere was completely different than any place she had been to in New York. Skirts were shorter and there wasn’t a modern business suit in sight, a bubbling cauldron caught her attention.

“Faustus is this a witch café?” He nodded and led her to an empty booth near the window. She looked around some more, “How have I never been here before?”

“Even witches can’t see it if they don’t know it's here. If you’d ever walked this street before you’d have seen an abandoned building.” Zelda continued to look around, the pub reminded her a bit of Hilda’s greenhouse, plants crawled up the walls and covered every available shelf. A large hearth behind the counter had a large beast rotating on a spit, sending a mouthwatering aroma into the air that mingled with the scents of herbs. When a young witch walked over to take their order, Zelda noticed one vine in particular and ordered a guarana tea. She hadn’t had it in ages, Hilda used to make it occasionally when she decided Zelda needed to drink less caffeine. After she ordered her tea she looked expectantly at Faustus.

“I’m thinking prime rib, what about you?” She cocked an eyebrow,

“A bit much for lunch, don’t you think?” 

“Then we can share,” he turned to the waitress, “A slice of your prime rib and an unsweetened black tea.”

Without writing anything down the girl headed back to the kitchen, Faustus turned back to her, his teasing demeanor had been replaced by a familiar serious expression. She waited for him to say something but he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to discuss whatever it was that had prompted him to take her on this unexpected lunch date. While the silence wasn’t entirely unwelcome, patience had never been one of her virtues.

“Satan, Faustus, just tell me whatever it is that has you so distracted. Or was your plan just to stare at me all through lunch?”

“Sorry no, that was not my intention.” He ran a hand through his hair, thinking. Finally, he sighed and resigned himself to talking about what had been bothering him since he woke up without her.

“What exactly do you want out of this Zelda?”

“What do you mean?”

“Considering last night, I’d like to clear up what is your definition of taking things slow. Since we rather blurred that line.” Now she knew why he hadn’t wanted to speak; this was a rather heavy topic for lunch. She glanced out the window while she tried to figure out what she wanted to say.

“I am not entirely sure if slow was the correct phrase. I think I meant more along the lines of consistent? Though I’m not sure if that is right either.”

When she looked back at him the corners of his mouth were twitching upwards. “Would the word you are looking for perhaps be steady?”

With a slight pop, their tea and lunch appeared on the table. Despite the no doubt scalding temperature of the tea Zelda took a sip of it, likely to hide the blush that was creeping up from the neckline of her emerald dress. Even though he enjoyed seeing the stoic Zelda Spellman flustered he knew what an uncomfortable conversation this was for her and looked away. He picked up his fork and under the guise of trimming the cut of meat he waited for her. 

She took another sip of tea and looked at him again. He took a bite of the tender meat before cutting off a piece and offering it to her. She set her cup down and took the fork from him, ever the independent witch. As she chewed, he could see her calculating whatever she was going to say next.

She looked down at her tea, unsure if she would be able to say what she wanted to while looking at him. “I like dating you, being your girlfriend or whatever it is you want to call this, though I think I am far too old to be labeled someone’s girlfriend.” She swallowed and looked up at him. “But I don’t think I can share you.” He had to stop himself from smiling, though she could probably see it in his eyes.

“You don’t have to.”

“Faustus, I am talking about monogamy.”

“I am aware.”

“As in no one else in bed, no one else period.” He chuckled.

“That is the definition of a monogamous relationship as I understand it.” He shouldn’t tease her but the look of disbelief on her face was amusing.

“You would be exclusively mine.”

“Yes. Zelda, I am serious, I only want you.” He reached across the table and grasped the hand that was still holding his fork. “I meant what I said, you are more than enough.” She seemed to relax at least a little bit and she didn’t pull her hand away. When she smiled again, he took the fork from her and cut off another piece of beef. Deciding it was time to transition to a more lighthearted topic, he looked deeply into her eyes. “And you are certainly not too old to be someone’s girlfriend. If I recall your biography says you are what? 29?” He winked at her as he put the morsel in his mouth. Her shoe connected with his shin and he winced but continued to laugh.

She gave him an indignant glare, and he cut off a particularly red piece of meat and held it out as a peace offering. This time she leaned forward and ate the bite right off of his fork. He glanced around but there were still plenty of people around, not that anyone was paying them any attention but he appreciated her increasing boldness. She picked up her own fork and split what remained of the beef cut and started eating, albeit much quicker than usual.

“What time did you have to be at the theatre this morning?” She finished chewing her bite,

“I showed up at 5:30 to warm up, Randy arrived at 6 for lift practice, and then dress rehearsal began around 7 o’clock I think. I lose track of time while I am there.” Considering it was nearing one her haste made sense, she must be starving. He cut off a section of his half and slid it across the plate. When she tried to push it back, he stopped her.

“You need it more than I do, besides I am guessing the last time you ate was that burger last night.” The sheepish look she gave him answered his question.

“Tonight’s show is early.” She offered as an explanation, she took a sip of her tea and he noticed the tiredness that had settled around her eyes was disappearing.

“Just because the mortal ballerinas don’t eat does not mean you can’t”

“I’d like to keep my job.”

“I just want to remind you that espresso is not a meal.”

“You sound like Hilda.” She brushed a strand of hair back that had fallen out of her bun. “Your concern is noted, though this explains why most of our dates seem to center around food.” His pant leg brushed against her nylons as he leaned back in his seat.

“What can I say I am a selfish man; I need you to have the energy for what comes after the meal.” His wicked smile almost tempted her to suggest that they leave and go find a place to spend the afternoon, but she needed to be back at the theatre immediately after this.

“Are you coming to the show tonight?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” She forced herself to keep a neutral expression, but her eyes brightened. She pushed the remaining two bites on the plate over to him. He gave her a stern look and stabbed one of them with his fork and held it out to her.

“I’m not hungry anymore.”

“We aren’t leaving until you finish this.” She rolled her eyes, she wasn’t a child and didn't need to be ordered around, but when she went to stand up she found she couldn’t. “I am not joking, Zelda.”

She quickly took the bite off his fork, and he ate the other piece. As much as she wanted to be mad at him, she wasn’t. His stubbornness seemed to stem from genuine concern, and she was touched, but she didn’t appreciate magical binding outside of the bedroom.

“That will be that last time you get your way for a while, Faustus.” She stood as he paid.

As they left, he wrapped an arm around her waist, and whispered in her ear, “I’m looking forward to it. _Dearest_.” She looked up at his cavalier grin and gave him a wicked one in return.

They took side streets to avoid some of the walking traffic along Broadway. They reached the back door of the theatre too quickly for his liking but he begrudgingly released her. She was about to walk away when instead she turned around.

“Did you get any weird looks at the office today?” He raised an eyebrow at her smirk.

“No, why do you ask?”

“No particular reason.” Her smirk turned into a grin. She sidled in closer and ran her fingers through his unusually soft hair. She trailed them down his neck, letting her thumb graze the bruise there. He watched her pull up the collar of his coat before leaning in closer and murmuring in his ear. “Though you might want to consider covering your neck. That bite mark is rather obvious.” She dodged his kiss goodbye and opened the theater door, with one last smirk she disappeared inside.


	10. Chapter 10

Faustus hadn’t even sat back down at his desk before his phone started ringing. Margaret poked her head into his office.

“It’s Lord Blackwood, sir. He called while you were out as well.” Faustus’ hand hovered over the receiver while he waited for her to close the door behind her. Once the lock engaged, he waited for it to ring once more before he answered it. The instant he picked it up he regretted it.

“Faustus, must I resort to mortal forms of communication to reach you? Every last one of my summonses to you in the last week have gone unanswered. You ought to have a good reason for ignoring me.” Faustus rolled his eyes.

“I have been rather pre-occupied running _your_ company.”

“And how is that going?” Now Faustus really wished he hadn’t returned to work after lunch and just stayed with Zelda at the theatre or even gone back to the hotel. This question had no right answer. He quickly gave the most boring synopsis of the week’s business he could think of in hopes his father would drop the subject and move on to why he called in the first place. Instead, Lord Blackwood listened carefully and made sure no detail went uncriticized. Faustus could not understand his father’s continued interest in this company. It had outlived its usefulness as a profitable link to the mortal world for the Church of Night. He could think of plenty of easier ways to protect the coven from mortals. He preferred any option that allowed him to never see another mortal, especially his father’s business partners, ever again.

Faustus tuned out the rest of his father’s monologue about the company and started marking up the legal documents on his desk. Mortal telephones at least allowed him the small mercy of not having to pretend he was listening to his father speak. Finally, his father ran out of complaints and moved on.

“I need you back in Greendale tonight.” Faustus set down his pen,

“I am afraid I am busy this evening.” 

“This is concerning your future, son. Cancel whatever plans you have made.” Faustus seethed; Satan did he hate being called son.

“No. Next time give me more than three hours advanced notice.” He retorted.

Suspicion crept into his father’s voice. “You despise New York, what is happening there that you care enough to stay?” 

Faustus lied smoothly. “There is a shareholders meeting tomorrow morning and I need to finish preparing for it.” Faustus silently thanked the Dark Lord that his father was no longer involved in the daily business of the company and couldn’t call his bluff.

“You surprise me Faustus. It’s good to see you are finally settling into your position as the head of my company.” If he didn’t know his father to be a heartless bastard, he would have thought he heard a hint of pride in his father’s voice. “But you will have to reschedule. You need to be here for dinner tonight.” 

“I said no.”

“I am not asking, Faustus.” He fought back the urge to shirk his father’s summons home again. But if he was already suspicious of Faustus’s continued presence in New York, refusing to return for dinner would only make it worse. The only way he was going to best his father was if he remained unaware of what was really happening in New York.

Faustus pursed his lips. “Fine.”

“I will expect you here in an hour.” The typical hard edge to his father’s voice returned. “And don’t make me wait, Faustus.” 

“I will be there.” He said not bothering to hide the contempt in his voice. Faustus hung up the phone and walked over to the window and stared out at the city. A summons back to the family manor could only mean one thing. His father was drafting his marriage contract. 

He turned back to his desk and locked his papers in his desk with a spell. He picked up his office phone and dialed. “Gerald, change of plans, I need you at the theatre tonight.” After receiving confirmation Faustus hung up and put on his coat. With his mind preoccupied thinking of ways to unravel his father’s negotiations, he surprised his staff by being the first one to leave the office. Once out of sight he ducked into the stairwell and apparated back to the hotel to change before returning to Blackwood Manor. 

\---

Zelda ended the last note of the show and went to her knees over Randall’s still form, the curtain closed in front of them and she helped him up. The rest of the cast flooded onto the stage and lined up beside them. The curtains reopened to thunderous applause echoing through the theatre, she stood beaming and bowing with the cast, and waited for a glimpse of white among the red roses at her feet. When none appeared the cheers seemed to fade and her smile faltered as she looked out at the audience but she saw nothing but black behind the stage lights. Where was he? He was supposed to be there. The wave of success that hit her after every performance fled as she finished the curtain call. Even though she remained on stage longer than usual no ranunculus flower floated to the floor.

The crew backstage congratulated her on the performance but she walked numbly by. She tried blaming traffic but the show was over two hours long, even by Manhattan standards that was pushing it. Not to mention he could apparate. She returned to her dressing room, ignoring the bundles of roses that had been sent to her room by some well-meaning patrons. As she started undressing, she tried to snap herself out of it. He had seen the performance several times, she couldn’t expect him to be at every one. But he’d said he would be there. There were worry lines on her forehead when she looked in the mirror to brush out her hair. She forced the lines off her face and glared at her reflection. “Pull yourself together,” she muttered under her breath. This was Faustus he was fine. She turned her back on her reflection and redressed in her dress from earlier and a coat. She flicked off the light in her dressing room and was out the rear door before most of the actors had taken their makeup off. She stepped out of the theatre silently hoping he’d be waiting in the alleyway with a perfectly reasonable explanation, but the street was empty. As she walked away from Broadway a limousine pulled up alongside her. It was Faustus’. Her spirits lifted as she entered but the rear cab was empty, she looked up and saw Gerald’s calm eyes in the rearview mirror.

“You looked like you could use a ride miss.” She looked down at her hands in her lap.

“Do you know where he is?” She asked quietly figuring if anyone would know it would be his driver.

“I’m afraid I do not.” Evidently, she looked as crestfallen as she felt because he continued. “But I am sure he has a good reason for his absence.” The older gentleman gave her a comforting smile. She tried to return the gesture but her heart wasn’t in it.

Gerald pulled out onto the main road and made to turn towards the hotel. Zelda bit her lip before speaking up. “Actually, would you mind taking me back to my apartment instead.”

“Of course.” She gave him the address and adjusted her coat. He had probably been caught at the office, though then Gerald should have known where he was. As she went through every possible excuse she forced herself to stop, otherwise, she was going to drive herself insane. Instead, she refocused on her surroundings and tried to rationalize her mind. It had only been a few hours. She'd never felt this way before when they were apart, it shouldn’t be bothering her now. Sure, they were officially together now, but that wasn’t any reason for her to fall into hysterics over one missed show. She sat up straighter and tried to force the thoughts from her mind. And yet she missed him and at least wanted to know he really was alright.

Gerald came to her rescue, “How was the show, Ms. Spellman?” His question came as a welcome distraction. 

“It went well, though I’ll admit I’m getting tired of going through the same numbers every night.”

“Based on the papers I’d say your diligence is paying off.”

She smiled, “I hope so.” The city lights glittered on the wet pavement and her thoughts unwillingly returned to Faustus.

“Gerald—”

“Yes, miss?”

“Do you know why he needed to leave?” She met Gerald’s eyes in the mirror again and they softened.

“I would wait for him to tell you himself. I can only speculate and that is not going to help you any.” She knew he was right but it didn’t stave off her worries, she didn’t know when she had reached the point of caring about him and his whereabouts this much. “I may be overstepping, but I wouldn’t worry about him if I were you. He’ll be back.” After lunch she was slightly less worried about him coming back, she was more concerned about what was happening that he couldn’t tell her about it. 

They passed the remainder of the drive in silence. When they pulled up in front of her apartment building. She thanked him and hoped he knew she was grateful for more than just the ride before she walked up to the steps. He waited at the curb until she was safely inside and then merged back into traffic.

\---

Faustus returned to New York late. He walked into the hotel annoyed and tired, the only thing keeping him going during his long discussion with his father was the thought of crawling into bed with Zelda. He walked into his dark room and slipped off his shoes. He padded over to the bed but it hadn’t been disturbed since housekeeping had made it. He turned on the bedside lamp and ran a hand down his face, disappointed but not entirely surprised. He’d remembered too late that he hadn’t called her after talking to Gerald. He undressed and climbed into bed, but now his mind wouldn’t let him rest. Instead, he got up and went to look out the window. Zelda danced through his mind as he continued formulating a plan for their future. He wasn’t going to lose her this time, his father’s plans be damned.

He walked to the desk and picked up the phone. It was well past the witching hour but as usual, Gerald answered on the second ring. “Where is she?” he asked tiredly.

Gerald paused on the other end of the line before he made his choice and gave him Zelda’s address. “A word of warning to you, Faustus, women like her don’t come around often.”

“I am very much aware.” Faustus sighed “Thank you, Gerald.” The other man hung up the phone and Faustus went to the closet and redressed.

A few moments later he was outside her apartment door contemplating if he should just walk in or knock. The door opened of its own accord and made the choice for him. He couldn’t make out anything in her apartment but a faint light filtering into the hallway. He followed it and opened the door to her bedroom. If she hadn’t just opened the door, he would have thought she was asleep. There was an unfinished glass of whiskey next to the bed along with her satanic bible, evidently, he wasn’t the only one having trouble sleeping. He stripped down to his boxers and slipped into bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her.

She relaxed into his embrace. “Where were you?” she asked softly. An emotion he couldn’t quite place laced her voice and she allowed him to hold her tighter than usual. 

“I needed to take care of a few things.” He trailed a finger down the curve of her waist. She turned over so she was looking at him and gave him a once over but found nothing amiss. 

“Back in Greendale?” He nodded and her face relaxed some. Even though she looked like she had something else to say she remained silent.

“Are you feeling ok, Zelda? You look a little shaken.” 

“Of course, I am fine.” She sounded sure but her gaze lingered on him just a moment too long.

“What is it?” 

“I said its nothing.” She moved to turn away but he held her there. He gave her his most charming smile,

“Tell me, Zee.” She looked at him strangely,

“You haven’t called me Zee since the Academy.”

“Stop avoiding the question.” She wouldn’t meet his stare and instead looked at his chest.

“Is something happening?” She asked it so quietly he almost missed it. When he didn’t respond immediately, she searched his face. The playful grin he had been sporting disappeared as he froze. He realized the emotion he couldn’t place earlier was concern. When he disappeared without a word, she’d worried about him. “Faustus is something wrong?” The hint of fear in her voice drew him back out and he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“No nothing is wrong. I needed to discuss a few things with my father.” He placed a kiss on her forehead where faint lines had appeared. “Next time I will remember to call. I am sorry I worried you.” Though relief washed over her face she tried to hide it by turning so her back was pressed against him again.

“I wasn’t worried.” He hid his smile and brushed back her long hair to kiss behind her ear. _Whatever you say, dearest_. She might not have been willing to admit she worried about him, but it was there plain as day. He moved to lie on his back. At the loss of contact she turned back over “Why did you come all the way out here anyway?”

“I sleep better with you in my arms.” The simplicity of his statement seemed to surprise her, but she did tuck herself against his side. She reached up to kiss him before resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping an arm around his middle. 

“I wasn’t sleeping well without you either.” She said quietly, she couldn’t see it but a smile spread across his face at her words. Today he’d seen it all, Zelda Spellman worried about him and admitted she enjoyed sharing a bed with him, it wasn’t quite an ‘I love you’ but with her, he would take what he could get. She turned out the light and closed her eyes. He rubbed her back lazily and also tried to sleep. Unlike her, he’d had a long time get used to worrying about her whenever she disappeared. No matter how long she was gone, be it five minutes or ten years, whenever she came back it always felt like it was easier to breathe. One of her legs slid over his and her arm tightened around her. Both of them were still exhausted but neither fell asleep quickly, they just held each other and that was enough for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, this chapter did not want to be written. Hopefully, the update is to your liking. My final projects at school are all coming into full swing so even though I'd like to get back to weekly updates, that unfortunately won't always be the case until the term ends in a few weeks. My apologies there but I hope you are having a great day.


	11. Chapter 11

Zelda threw her keys on the entryway table and closed her apartment door. The actors had the day off, so she only had to go through the dance numbers this morning. Her voice was grateful for the break. The sun had only just risen, but she was ready to get back in bed. The lack of sleep was catching up with her. She walked into her bedroom where Faustus was still asleep. She figured she still had some time before he woke up to go to the office so she slipped into the shower and rinsed off. She pulled her nightgown back over her head and carefully got into bed next to him. 

As she slowly moved closer to him, he surprised her and ran a hand down her side and pulled her to him. Reaching up to run her fingers through his mussed hair she murmured, “I thought you were asleep.”

“You left again,” he said. 

“You are going to have to get used to that.”

“Never.” She smiled softly.

“Well, I am yours for the rest of the day. Practice is finished and there isn’t a show tonight.” That got his attention and he opened his eyes. 

“Is that so? How fortunate for me.” He reached over to the bedside table and picked up her phone and started spinning the dial. Her eyes were half closed by the time he looked back at her. At last someone on the other end picked up. “This is Lord Blackwood. I am not going to be in the office today. Please notify the partners and cancel today’s meetings.” He paused to listen to whoever was on the other end of the line. He glanced over at her lounging on the bed “Yes, you may reschedule them for next week. I will still be in New York.” 

Her lips twitched into a smile, evidently, he planned to keep his promise of sticking around for more than a week. He put the phone back in its cradle and moved on top of her. “I hope you weren’t planning on going back to sleep, dearest.” All thoughts of sleep abandoned her as he smirked down at her with a glint in his eye. She gave him a cruel smile back before she bucked her hips up at him. He lost his balance and she twisted them so he flopped onto his back while she gracefully landed astride him. 

The morning light coming in through the window shone on her skin and lust filled eyes. “You wish.” She flashed her teeth and leaned forward, giving him a generous view of her cleavage. 

As she kissed along his jawline the shadow of a beard on his face scratched at her lips. Her hands ran down his arms and held them to the bed, she placed kisses sparingly down his chest as she moved lower. Her hands trailed down his sides, feeling the muscles tense as she placed a warm kiss at the waistband of his boxers. 

He craned his neck up to watch her, his pale eyes meeting hers. Her skilled hands moved over the fabric and he took a sharp breath as she felt his erection through the thin silk. Just when he thought she was going to relieve him of the garment, her hands moved on to his legs. He groaned. She could toy with him in the most excruciating ways. As much as he wanted to bury himself in her, seeing her lips so near his cock brought different desires to the forefront of his mind. His breath caught in his throat as he felt her breath through the silk. Her eyes still bore into his like a snake, he had to force his eyes open so as not succumb to her teasing,

“Zelda,” He warned.

“Yes, Faustus?” She said sweetly. He couldn’t keep himself from groaning again, she was still coherent and he most certainly was not, and she had barely touched him. If her playing with him wasn’t so damn pleasurable he would try and force the issue

“Zelda, please.” She rarely got to hear him beg, she relished it as she placed a gentle kiss on the silk.

“Please what?” Her taunting voice had moved well into wicked territory as she watched him come undone.

“I want you on me. Now.” His husky demand made her smug.

“I don’t think so.” Then she slid off of him completely and got off the bed. She went and sat on her vanity chair like it was a throne and waited with a smirk. The fact that he could move surprised him. He had assumed she’d bound his arms to the bed. He immediately stalked over to her intending to finish what she started. The small part of his brain that was still capable of critical reasoning warned him this was a trap but he ignored it. He put a crushing kiss to her lips, the force of it pushing her into the chair. She returned it hungrily. Her hands running through his hair until they laced together at the back of his neck. His hands were insistent on her hips and she was tempted to let him ravage her right there in the chair but she still had not made her point about lunch the other day.

She drew herself up against him as if to walk them back to the bed but instead turned and pushed him into the chair. He pulled her down with him so she landed straddling him. His lips went to her chest and kissed along her collar bone. The feel of his stubble scratching along her skin aroused her further. Her hands played with the hair at the nape of his neck as he placed his mouth on her breast, sucking on it through the silk. She unwittingly let out a whining moan and her eyes snapped open. She pushed back on his shoulders struggling to maintain distance between them. She forced herself to focus and ignore the heat radiating off of him. His hands smoothed up her thighs and lifted her nightdress, reaching for panties that were not there. His eyes widened and she smirked as she leaned in and murmured a Latin phrase in his ear. Before he could decipher what she said his hands were bound behind him and he couldn’t leave the chair.

“I told you. You won’t be getting your way anytime soon.” She pressed a kiss to his lips and he tried to hold her there by biting on her bottom lip. She entertained it for a moment longer before she pulled away. “Welcome to your penance, Faustus.” 

She apparated away leaving him bound to her chair. She reappeared moments later to him struggling against the bonds holding him to her vanity chair and muttering every spell he thought might undo the ties. 

“I wouldn’t waste your energy. You’ll need it later.” He looked up from the ropes to her amused smirk. Still calm and composed, clearly winning the game they played. He took a deep breath and relaxed his arms in an attempt to at least look unbothered. Feigning patience he didn’t feel he looked back at her and noticed she held his shaving kit. 

“Not a fan of the beard?” He asked with mirth in his voice. Though he could hardly describe what he had as a beard, he had only missed a shave or two. She turned to the vanity and opened the case. 

“If I must spend the day with you the least you can do is be clean-shaven.” She flashed a cheeky grin over her shoulder. He could think of a dozen more rewarding activities that could be performed in this chair, but he was in no position to make demands. He silently cursed himself for his insolence yesterday. Readily agreeing to and anticipating her special brand of torture had been a mistake, though he didn’t regret getting her to eat something. He consoled himself with the view of her legs and the taunting way her nightgown stretched around her ass as she prepped his shaving soap. 

Finally, she turned around and slowly settled on his lap, wriggling just enough to frustrate him anew, and rubbed a damp towel on his cheeks and neck. He practically growled in complaint when she set the towel aside and stood up. Thankfully he didn’t have to wait long before she returned with the shaving brush in hand.

She looked into his piercing eyes, begging in ways he never would, they only made it harder to continue to deny him but she forced herself to put a playful smile back on her face. As she sat across his lap again, she allowed herself one concession and placed a kiss to his pursed lips, she deepened it and felt his whole body tighten as he struggled against the ropes to free himself and forcibly keep her in his lap. She placed her free hand on his chest to force herself to end it and slipped her tongue out of his mouth. 

Looking completely unaffected, she started lathering the foam on his face and neck, ignoring his burning gaze. She stood and went back to the vanity; he swore she twitched her hips on purpose. She unfolded the razor and tested the edge, before staring right at him as she sucked the bead of blood from the pad of her thumb. 

She settled back into his lap and a small taunting smile returned to her face. “Hold still.”

She expertly swiped the blade down his cheek, his eyes never left her face as she concentrated on not cutting him. He made no move to stop her nor did he voice any concern about her wielding the sharp blade by his face. As she wiped off the razor on the towel on her leg, she met his gaze. Unwavering trust stared back at her, though his eyes still burned with lust. She held his face to pull the skin tighter and finished his cheeks and jaw. He stayed completely still as she shaved above his lip. Once his face was done, she rewarded him with a kiss. 

He shut his eyes and enjoyed her touch before she pulled back and lifted his chin. The rhythmic scrapes of the blade were the only sound in the room. Then she clicked the razor closed and wiped the remaining soap off his face. “Good boy.” She teased. The animalistic hunger returned to his eyes and she flashed a devilish smile. It only made him want her more. She lightly sauntered back to the vanity and put his things away with meticulous care. He forced himself to remain silent, knowing any interruption on his part would only stretch out this torture. At last, he heard the case latch and she turned to lean against her vanity with her arms crossed. 

“That’s better. Now have we learned our lesson?” Maintaining a cool composure in front of him was only getting more difficult as he continued to look at her like he wanted to completely devour her. She twitched her legs as her traitorous body begged to let him. Unfortunately, he saw this little motion and smirked, but he nodded nevertheless. She cleared the space between them and leaned over him with her hands on the chair back. “Have we learned our lesson?” She repeated, stressing every word.

“Yes.” She noticed his eyes had drifted to looking down the front of her nightgown. Her finger pushed his chin up again.

“Eyes up, Faustus. I am not done yet.” He stopped imagining the softness of her breasts in his hands and looked at her. “I don’t appreciate being forcibly held to my seat against my will.” Her voice turned sultry in his ear as she leaned further forward. “If you want to tie me down, do it in private. Is that understood?” She stood back and he kept his gaze locked on her eyes.

“Yes.”

“Marvelous.” She let the straps on her nightgown slip off her shoulders and the silk immediately slipped down her body and pooled at her feet. She heard his breath catch and with a quick utterance, his boxers disappeared. She climbed on top of him once more, his head leaned back as she kissed him gradually increasing the intensity of it until she was conveying all of her pent-up frustration and desire against his lips. She put her hands on his shoulders and went up on her knees, teasing the tip of him against her entrance. He moaned into her mouth with a noise that vaguely resembled her name, finally, she couldn’t force herself to continue toying with him any longer and pushed herself onto him. A sigh escaped her lips and she ended the kiss. She paused before she started rhythmically pounding against him, and he eagerly met the roll of her hips. Her breasts bounced against his chest and he wanted to hold and squeeze them and watch her come undone in his hands but the bonds held fast.

It wasn’t long before she was sighing and moaning his name. Her thighs squeezed around him and she increased her pace grinding harder against him as the friction between their bodies mounted. In between his own grunts of pleasure, he cursed her for keeping him bound. He wanted to force her hips against him harder so he could feel the muscles in her legs tighten as they pressed against his hips. The rope digging at his wrists a constant painful reminder he couldn’t touch her. Her mouth connected with his and insistently parted his lips, pushing him further into the chair. He bucked his hips against her penetrating deeper. Their kiss ended with a popping sound as her head fell back and cried out his name.

Her constant teasing had already put him close to the edge. At the sight of her calling out his name while her chest heaved, holding out for her became impossible. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders as he came, his arms went slack against the bonds as pleasure rippled through his body. Her hips continued to undulate against him only serving to heighten the feeling. When his eyes closed against the bright lights floating across his vision, he missed seeing her reach her own climax but heard her guttural cry and felt her walls clench around him.

She sagged against him while she rode out her orgasm, her skin was slick and her breasts pressed against his chest. They both stayed there panting and recovering. Whenever she decided to control their activities it never failed to excite him differently than when he had her at his mercy. When she finally had the strength to, she lifted her head from her shoulder and cooed in his ear. “Take me to bed.” She looped her arms around his neck and with a snap he was free. With one hand under each of her thighs, he stood and dropped her on the bed. He flopped down next to her, the motion bouncing her slightly.

She moved over closer to him, her body still warm against his side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she trailed a finger along his chest and stomach in lazy swirls. He reached up with his free hand and rubbed a hand over his chin and came away surprised. Normally even he didn’t get that close of a shave. “I am mildly concerned as to where you learned to shave like that. More specifically with who. Am I going to have a litany of men complaining I’ve taken you off the market?” She chuckled lightly and sat up a little to run a caress down his now smooth cheek.

“Probably, but I doubt it will be for that reason.” He reached up and held her hand to pull her further onto his chest. He pressed a kiss to her lips and she melted in his arms, her eyes immediately closing. Their kiss remained light, frequently breaking apart only to start again. With all the kissing they had done she would have thought she would be over it by now, but his lips acted like an addictive drug she couldn’t get enough of. And after years without she’d happily fall back into the habit.

Her smooth leg hooked around him and her lips become insistent. At least she didn’t look like she’d be denying his touch this time around. “Shower?” He murmured against her lips, she smiled. And gave him one last peck on the lips before she got up to turn on the water. He walked into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around her so his hands were pressed against her stomach. He kissed along her neck and shoulders. She leaned into him.

“Are we ever going to get into the shower?” She asked. He laughed against her neck.

“Eventually.” She turned around and gave him a teasing smile before walking backwards towards the glass door of the shower. Her foot slipped on the rug and her eyes went wide as she started to fall backward. He lunged forward. 

“Zelda!” He caught her before she fell. She tried to laugh it off but it was unusual that her constant grace failed her. “Are you alright?” 

“Clumsy me, thank you.” There was a spark in her eye that gave him pause. Zelda had never been clumsy in her life, he looked at her.

“Wait, did you do that on purpose?” She smiled from where she was still dipped down in his arms.

“Of course not.” She stated in mock indignity. He shook his head. Of course, she had. She pulled open the door and pranced in, satisfied knowing she wasn’t the only one who felt concern for the other’s physical well-being. It made her feel slightly less foolish about the night before, though she was still chiding herself for that display of weakness. She gave him a demure smile as he closed the door behind him.

“You really are a minx you know that?” He pushed her up against the tile wall and a shiver went through her. Whether in anticipation or from the cold he couldn’t tell. He brushed aside her wet locks and kissed her. Her arms wrapped around his neck as his hands roamed down her body. She impatiently moved her kisses along his jaw working her way towards the spot below his ear that always got her exactly what she wanted. Her hands moved down his slick chest and her lips advanced more slowly as reached down and held him in her hand. He took a sharp intake of breath and stopped his task of kneading his fingers against her backside. He reached between them and took her hands away and wrapped them back around his neck.

“There has been far too much teasing going on today.” He growled in her ear. His strong hands pressed viciously into the back of her thighs and she gratefully jumped onto him. 

“I agree.” She purred. He slipped inside of her and her eyes fluttered closed. 

His fingers tightened on her legs. “I want to see those eyes, Zelda.” She rolled her hips against him protesting his lack of motion, but she opened her eyes for him. A fire burned in them that ignited his own naked desire for her that never strayed too far from the surface. “Keep them open.”

“Yes, Lord Blackwood.” She teased, her voice low and thick with desire. He narrowed his eyes but thrust into her, silencing any further snarky remarks as she sucked in a breath. He lifted his eyes to look into hers in her elevated position. His challenge to keep her eyes on him was difficult as he kept at a grueling consistent pace, thrusting into her purposefully, Each time her eyes wanted to close against the fluttering in her stomach but she wasn’t about to back down or beg no matter how much she wanted him to speed up. 

Her eyes taunted him on, he knew there was no way she was thrilled with the slow pace he’d set. All he needed to do was maintain it until she cracked. Her legs slid further up his hips allowing him to go deeper. He silently thanked Satan for her incredible flexibility. Her lips parted as her head fell back and her eyes closed, unable to help himself he kissed her.

She slid further up the shower wall as his kiss grew more demanding. Her hand slipped through his wet hair and pulled. Her thighs tightened around him as she started riding him faster. He squeezed her legs hard and ended the kiss. “Zelda. What did I say?” He murmured in her ear. Her eyes opened once more but narrowed as she looked down at him. He sped up slightly and her lashes fluttered, and a sigh escaped her lips. But she still wanted more. “All you have to do is ask.” A cruel smile spread across his face as her lips pressed together. 

The agonizing pace had her so close but was teasing her right at the cusp. However, she couldn’t let him win. A few locks of hair fell across his face, only making him more devilishly handsome. It would be so easy to give in, her whole body ached to. She reconnected their lips and bit at his bottom lip whenever she pulled away. To her delight, his eyes closed and she dug her heels into his lower back to regain some leverage against him.

His eyes snapped open and he slid her up the wet tile. Breaking contact left him wanting as well but her involuntary whine tipped the scales of their game in his favor. “Just say the word,” he taunted.

The word please was already on her lips, the instant they started to form the word he thrust back into her. Her moans drowned out the falling water and as her legs tightened around him his own cries mingled with hers. He felt her fluttering on the edge.

“Zelda, come for me. Come for me, dearest.” He said against her neck, his voice softer than silk. Her eyes closed as the heat pooling in her stomach began to spread through her entire body. His sinful lips were behind her ear, thrilling the sensitive skin there. She bit her lip trying to hold out for him, but from her position pinned against the wall she couldn’t stop him, and each thrust brought her closer. Any desire to remain in control had disappeared, all thoughts abandoned her as her brain could barely keep up with the waves of ecstasy radiating through her senses. Finally, she could hold out no longer and finished with a strangled cry. Her walls and legs clenched around him and he fell over the edge as well. Their ragged breathing was mostly covered by the sound of the running water but he was so close she could feel his heart beating against her chest.

Knowing she was in no position to stand he locked his knees and continued to hold her against the wall. The muscles in her thighs went slack in his hands, and he massaged them gently. Her head rested against the shower wall, eyes shut. He pressed a short kiss to the tiny smile on her face. The hot water at his back now felt cool against his skin. Her eyes shone as she opened them, she unhooked her ankles and tentatively set her feet down. His hands moved to her hips to steady her. “That certainly made our top ten.” At her words, his smile spread and he chuckled briefly. To him, every time with her became their new best. 

Her hands stayed on his shoulders as she regained her balance, and then a little longer after so he’d continue holding her. When the cold from the tile seeped into her back, she dropped her hands to get under the steaming water. He turned so he was at her back and took the soap bar and started lathering soap onto his hands. He returned the bar to her and started washing her. As his hands traveled along her body and arms the touches felt more like caresses and Zelda found herself once again weak at the knees.

She stepped out of the spray and started washing her long hair; the flowery smell he always associated with her filled his nose. She rinsed her hair and then took the soap and washed him as well. Her fingers soft and delicate, very different from how’d they’d felt clawing at his shoulders only moments before. As she rubbed soap on them she inspected her handiwork and began muttering healing spells and he stilled her fingers. “Leave them. I like seeing them.” She shrugged it off and lathered soap across his chest.

They rinsed off and stepped out of the shower. She dried off but her eyelids looked heavy and she stifled a yawn.

“You need to get some more sleep, Zelda.” She had to agree. She had been tired before they started and now her muscles begged for rest along with her body. Not bothering to find her nightgown she started walking back to her bed. He followed her out of the bathroom and leaned on the door frame, crossing his arms across his chest. There was one last thing he needed before she went to sleep. “Am I back in your good graces?” He asked, a teasing smile on his face.

She raised her brows and paused, one knee already on the bed. “Almost. Come back to bed.” There would never be a time he wouldn’t respond to that with a resounding yes. He dropped the towel tied at his waist and climbed in next to her. She slipped under the covers and nestled against him. Her arm a welcome weight on his chest. He laced their fingers together and wrapped the arm she was using as a pillow around her. Her eyes closed but she ran her thumb over the back of his hand.

Having her wrap herself around him to sleep brought a small smile to his face. He still hadn't gotten used to soft physical contact with her, though he was beginning to. He tightened his arm around her. Seeing her go from being vulnerable last night to dominate this morning, and then back to the soft Zelda he had only just started to get to see brought up an onslaught of emotions, shocking him. His feelings for her were becoming harder to control as moments like these became more frequent. She started to drift off and he craned his neck down to kiss her head softly, inhaling the scent of her soap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about my long hiatus, but I am back. My finals are all done and now I can refocus on this. Missed you guys and I hope you liked this chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

Once her breathing deepened, he remained in bed with her, until his stomach’s complaints over missing breakfast became too strong to ignore. He slipped his arm out from under her head and climbed out of her bed. Mercifully she didn’t move and remained asleep. He gingerly closed her bedroom door and stepped out into her apartment. It was far larger than he had realized walking through it in the dark yesterday. He pulled back one of the violet curtains that covered the wall of windows on one side of the apartment. The late morning sun filtered into the room and he looked outside. Clearly, Zelda’s position in New York was a lucrative one if she had an apartment of this size with a view of downtown Manhattan. 

He opened the rest of the curtains, light flooded into a sitting room with high backed chairs and couches centered around a fireplace. The chairs looked familiar, he realized why they were from her family home half a century ago. He’d never thought of her as being nostalgic but she’d held onto them, though she had reupholstered them to match the curtains. He smirked slightly as he walked through the room. He had more than a few memories of those couches. Evidently, she remembered them fondly as well. The formal sitting room flowed into the kitchen, which despite Zelda living in New York for twelve years, still looked brand new. He opened her fridge and found only vegetables and chicken. Not much for breakfast fare, then again in all the time he’d known her she always had coffee or tea for her morning meal. At the Academy, Hilda had occasionally gotten her to eat some toast. Finding nothing to eat he closed the fridge and apparated to his hotel room.

He quickly dressed, opting for a more casual pair of black slacks and a sweater instead of a suit. Before he left his room, he fixed his hair in the mirror and again admired her handiwork on his cleanshaven face. Then he walked down to the lobby and stepped up to the receptionist counter. The cheery attendant from the night he had carried Zelda in the doorway was there and she clearly remembered him.

“Lord Blackwood, how may I assist you?”

“I need to extend my room arrangements.” She flipped open the book sitting on the counter and ran her finger down a couple pages presumably searching for his account. After she found it, she looked up again with a bright smile.

“We can do that for you. How much longer will you and your wife be staying with us?” He still didn’t bother to correct her, he enjoyed hearing Zelda referred to as his wife too much to stop her. If only it were true.

“We will be staying for at least another week.” She scratched something down in the ledger.

“Your room is reserved for another six nights, please let us know if you need to extend it again.” He nodded and tipped her before walking out onto the sidewalk.

The cold snap that had taken New York and brought in the snowstorm appeared to have moved on. He unbuttoned his coat, hopefully, the spring weather would hold out until after Zelda woke up. It might be a pleasant change of pace to get out and see the city in the sunshine after an abnormally long winter. 

He stepped into a corner grocer. This late in the morning very few mortals were there shopping. All of them appeared to be housewives. He received more than one odd look from them as he quickly went to the back of the store to get a bottle of milk and a carton of eggs. He stepped up to the counter where an old woman was restocking the counter display. Faustus waited impatiently for the woman to finish and caught the stares of the women in the store. The second he looked their way they quickly looked down and blushed. He rolled his eyes and had to resist tapping his fingers on the counter to hurry the shopkeeper along. Finally, she straightened up and started punching the total into the register while she attempted to talk to him. He ignored her and silently paid the total, leaving the door’s bells ringing loudly as he exited. 

On a whim, he stepped into the butcher’s stall nearby. There was thankfully no line, and he ordered some bacon. More than likely she wouldn’t eat it, but he decided it was worth a shot. He took the paper parcel and left. He’d barely entered the alleyway next to the shop before he apparated back to her apartment. 

He set down the bag and peaked his head into her room. His eyes softened at the sight of her still asleep and curled around the pillow he’d slept on. He returned to the kitchen and quietly searched through the cabinets until he found two pans and a cutting board. He cut up some of the vegetables from her fridge and threw them into one of the pans before he whipped up the milk and eggs.

Zelda awoke and stretched out, surprised to not find him beside her, though the smell of him still lingered on the pillow. She got up and slipped on a short black robe and tied it around her waist. As she stepped out into the hall, she smelled eggs and more importantly bacon. He didn’t notice her enter the kitchen until she stepped around him to reach for the coffee pot. His arm caught her around her midsection, preventing her from grabbing it.

“Good morning, Zelda.” She gave one last longing look at the coffee maker but took the hint. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and mumbled something against his back. He flipped an omelet onto a plate and she let go of him, suddenly hungry. He looked at her questioningly as he forked a few strips of bacon onto the plate as well, waiting for her to protest. With a nod of gratitude, she took the plate and sat at the counter.

“Sleep well?”

“Like the dead. I see you have been busy.” He cracked a few more eggs and set some more veggies sizzling in the pan.

“You didn’t leave me with much to work with.”

She crunched on a piece of bacon. “A cup of coffee would have sufficed.” He poured more egg mixture into the pan and turned to lean against the stove.

“After the morning you had you needed some protein.” He gave her his typical devil-may-care smile.

“I thought I’d already had my fill of that.” He raised a brow but couldn’t hide his smirk. She flashed a grin before taking a bite of her omelet. “I forgot you were a good cook.”

“Based on the contents of your fridge, I’m not sure how valid your praise is as I don’t think you have much to compare it to.” Her eyes crinkled as she laughed. He reached across the counter and stole a piece of bacon off her plate. She tried to snatch it back but came up short, she narrowed her eyes as he winked at her and took a bite. He turned back to the stove and put the omelet and the rest of the bacon on his plate. He sat down beside her and started to eat.

“Well, dearest, what would you like to do with the rest of your day off?” He ate as he waited for her to decide.

She finished the last of her omelet and ran her foot up his pant leg. “Hmm…I mean I could stay in bed all day—” She glanced out the large windows behind them, “—but that would be a waste of a sunny day.”

“You and I have very different definitions of a wasted day.” He put a hand on the back of her chair and gave her a suggestive look.

She stole the last piece of bacon off his plate and pranced back to her bedroom smiling over her shoulder. He finished his omelet before he waved a hand and the dishes began to clean themselves.

She stepped into her closet and untied the robe and hung it up. The tall mirror on one wall reflected her debauched appearance. Her vanity chair had left bruises on her knees that she hadn’t noticed earlier and as usual her thighs held a spattering of marks from his hands. She selected a calf-length pencil skirt that would hide the marred skin. As she clipped a black lace bra on, his hands found her waist and he reached over her shoulder to kiss her cheek.

“You didn’t answer my question.” He murmured in her ear.

“Because I didn’t have a good answer.” His hands traveled up to cup her breasts.

“Then come up with one.” His husky voice made her want to go back to her original idea of staying in bed, however, a nagging thought kept her from unzipping her skirt. After all, they'd both expressed they wanted something different from the nature of their relationship over the decades since the Academy. The last century of hooking up and then disappearing from each other’s lives had been what they both wanted at the time but supposedly this was different. She stepped out of his reach under the guise of taking a high-necked blouse off its hanger. He lingered behind her but as she started to button it, he settled for leaning against the door frame. 

As she tucked the blouse in, she thought back on how much she had enjoyed walking with him to and from lunch yesterday. It seemed so mundane, so different from what they were used to, and while he had been accepting of the more relaxed sleeping arrangements, she was embarrassed to even ask that they just wander the city streets like the ghastly mortal tourists that were always in her way. “I don’t know.” He seemed surprised when she turned around and brushed past him to get to her bathroom. “I live here shouldn’t you be the one deciding what we do?” She said over her shoulder. 

He followed her and raised an eyebrow at her in the mirror as she started brushing her strawberry curls. “I’ve been coming to this city as the figurehead of my father’s company for the better part of thirty years, you’re the tourist.”

“Then you should be the one showing me around.” He looked at her strangely. Her hair and makeup were immaculate and yet she was still fussing with it, and she normally never dodged making plans. She always knew what she wanted and yet now she would rather fix imaginary imperfections in her lipstick then tell him what she wanted. She refused to meet his gaze or even look in his direction. No closer to figuring it out, he walked up behind her so he was pressed against her back, she finally looked up at him and dropped her hands. His piercing eyes met hers in the mirror.

“You’re hiding something from me, Zelda Spellman.” She set her jaw and held his stare. When she still didn’t say anything he folded, she’d tell him when she was ready. Loving her had always been an exercise in patience. 

He sighed “Fine. What about a proper date in the city? I can’t say I have ever been on one but I will try my best.” She gave him a relieved smile and turned away from the mirror. He caught her before she could leave the bathroom and undid the top button of her blouse with a caddish smirk.

“Someone’s pressing their luck,” she said but she didn’t rebutton it as she left to put on a pair of heels. He met her in the foyer and put on his coat while she put on a pair of long black leather gloves. He held up the red coat hanging on a hook and she slipped her arms into it. He watched as she put a soft black beret on her hair and checked her appearance in the mirror. 

“You look beautiful, Zelda.” She smiled playfully,

“I know.” She opened the door and waited from him.

“I may not normally take witches on dates but I believe I am supposed to do that.” 

“I didn’t realize I was being taken out by a gentleman.” Her eyes teased a smile that didn’t reach her lips. She let him take the door from her and went to call the elevator.

He stepped behind her and murmured in her ear again. “Only for you dearest.”

“A shame, I miss my cad of a boyfriend already.” 

“Careful, or I’ll have to give you a reason to fix your lipstick.” The elevator opened and she stepped in and turned to face him again.

“I’m counting on it.” She gave him a wicked grin and he pushed her against the elevator wall as the doors closed behind them.

The elevator reached the lobby and she pressed a button to keep the doors closed. True to his word, she had to wipe smeared lipstick from around her lips while he used a handkerchief to get the red stain off his. Once they looked respectable again, she allowed the elevator doors to open. He put a hand on her lower back as they walked through the lobby. A doorman held open the door for them and he let her go.

The street bustled with the early lunch rush. Though her breath spiraled out in front of her the sun kept out the chill and it finally felt like spring in New York. He didn’t offer his arm to her and she didn’t take it, as much as she wanted to. They headed uptown from her apartment at a leisurely stroll. She looked around at the storefronts they passed unsure of when she had last simply walked through the city, without rushing to a rehearsal or some other event. She stayed a safe distance from him until she had to move out of the way of an oncoming businessman. The fact that she ended up closer to Faustus worked in her favor. Perhaps she would get what she wanted out of this impromptu date after all.

“How was rehearsal this morning?” She looked over at him almost surprised that he spoke to her. He’d thought she just didn’t want to decide where they wanted to go but despite her playfulness in the elevator, there was still something that had her distracted.

“Short, the actors didn’t have to be there so it was just the dancers.” Her eyes didn’t stay on him very long, she had gotten closer to him earlier but something seemed off. He carefully studied her out of the corner of his eye. She seemed focused on a store window that they were passing. He was trying and failing to figure out what fascinated her about a simple cobbler’s shop when her gloved fingers brushed against his. 

He looked down but couldn’t tell if it had been intentional or not, he decided to wait and see if she did it again. Until then it was better to pretend, he hadn’t noticed. “Did anything happen?”

“Just the usual routine, minus the singing.” They turned a corner and her pinkie grazed against his knuckles. Her eyes stayed pointedly focused ahead of her. Tentatively he grasped her hand in his and it astounded him how quickly she squeezed his hand back. He thought he saw the tiniest smile appear on her red lips. 

She stared ahead and refused to look at him, clearly unwilling to acknowledge the fact they were holding hands in public.

“Zelda?” She hummed but didn’t look over at him.

“You realize you don’t have to trick me to hold my hand, right?” She scoffed but kept her face hidden. He almost rolled his eyes, instead, he pulled her into an alleyway and turned her to face him. He lifted her chin with his free hand and saw her cheeks were flushed. She looked up at him through her eyelashes.

“Zelda, I know we have never done any normal relationship things together, but that doesn’t mean we can’t.” He lifted their joined hands. “You can hold my hand in public, you don’t have to ask or trick me into it, you can just take my hand.” He raised his brows. “Even in broad daylight.”

She’d been thrilled when he laced their fingers together, if a bit surprised, he’d taken her hint. For him to bring it up though caught her off guard. “But you hate public affection.”

“No, I don’t. You do. Anytime I touch you outside where someone might see you turn as red as your hair.” He tucked a strand of it behind her ear to show he meant no offense.

She knew he was right but it stung a little bit. “I’ve spent a long time hiding any relationship with you.” Even to her ears, it sounded like a lame excuse.

He cupped the side of her face and gently rubbed a gloved thumb over her cheek. “And I am saying you don’t need to.”

She’d been hiding her feelings for him for so long she wasn't sure how to respond to being able, and even encouraged, to show him affection outside of the bedroom. There had never been anyone she even wanted to do mundane couple things with, but now here she was thrilled with holding a man’s hand. She nodded her head and he led her back out to the street.

Now that the lunch crowd had all headed back to their offices there was more room on the sidewalk, but she stayed much closer to him. Another couple walked by and he wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all. They’d had sex twice before breakfast yet holding hands was foreign to them. He turned them down a quieter side street. As they continued on to an unknown destination she seemed to relax, brushing up against him and pointing out places as they passed them. Thankfully, she seemed slightly less on edge but she still bit her lip and glanced up at him on occasion.

“Zelda, what is it? You’re worrying me.”

“Never mind. It’s nothing.”

“If it was nothing you wouldn’t be looking at me like I’d grown horns.” Her hand tightened around his even as she glanced away.

“Earlier, when we were in my apartment and you asked me what I wanted to do, well… Satan this sounds pathetic, but this—” she gestured at their joined hands, “—this was what I wanted to do.”

“Hold my hand?” He asked incredulously.

“And walk around New York.” She avoided glancing his way, afraid to look and find she’d ruined it, but when he didn’t immediately respond, her morbid curiosity got the best of her. He had a smile on his face almost like he was going to start laughing at her. She pulled her hand out of his and rubbed her arm

“I told you it was ridiculous. Forget I said anything.”

“No, Zelda,” he said exasperatedly. “You misunderstand.” His smile softened and he held his hand out, she tentatively took it again, though her eyes remained wary. “It isn’t ridiculous. A day in the city with you, with no show to take you away was all I wanted. Whatever we did was inconsequential to me.”

“Then where were we going?”

“Central Park.” She blinked as she realized both of them had wanted a simple afternoon stroll and yet neither had wanted to admit it. A woman in a hurry, carrying several large boutique bags was headed straight for them. Zelda let go of his hand to let her pass but Faustus put a hand on her lower back and led them across the narrow street to get out of her path. Central Park came into view and his hand stayed on her back until they entered the park and he led them down one of the winding pathways then his hand started to wander lower.

He leaned in closer to her and gave her ass a squeeze. “See, this was all I wanted,” he murmured. She gave him a sly smile but color had started to creep up from the collar of her coat. A mortal turned the corner and she tensed as she tried not to react. When the man cut into a different path she relaxed again. Now there was no one around to see them, then again why did she even care? None of them were Edward, they couldn’t take him away from her, they were all just mortals going about their meaningless little lives. Edward was still far away at home in Greendale, she needed to stop seeing him in every person they passed.

She surprised him by wrapping her arm around his waist and leaning against his shoulder, his hand came to rest more on her hip as they walked around aimlessly. The sounds of the city faded away and gave way to a few birds chirping. She fought to keep the smile off her face as they continued through the park. The snow was receding quickly in the warm sun and the thought that there would soon be buds on the trees again made her almost as happy as being out with him.

They passed a bench sitting in a patch of sunshine and they stopped to rest. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, loose enough that she could shake him off if she wanted to but tight enough he hoped she wouldn’t.

She talked about the show and rehearsal, now in more than just a few nondescript sentences. One of the dancers was leaving the show and his new stand-in left something to be desired. He refused to talk about his father’s business so she started to ask about Greendale instead.

“I know you aren’t teaching this term, but how are things at the Academy going?”

“To my knowledge, Edward has taken over a few of my classes while I am gone, but I don’t think he realized the breadth of the responsibility and coursework he was taking on.” Though he knew Zelda and Edward had not been on speaking terms for years he didn’t want to risk offending her by stating he’d been asked by the high priest to return early to prepare students for their upcoming exams. “Father Ashton is assisting with my other classes though, and things seem to be running smoothly on that end.”

“Are you still the favorite to replace him?”

“Who, Father Ashton?” She nodded. 

“Yes, Edward is trying to contest my claim but I have been preparing for decades longer than him. Not to mention I’ve been under Father Ashton’s tutelage since the Academy.” 

“You always were his favorite.” 

“A good thing for you that I was, otherwise you would have spent a lot of time in detention for missed bed checks.” He squeezed her shoulder jokingly.

“I was always in bed at lights out, just not necessarily my own.” She said in mock indignity.

“Just be thankful they woke the Head Boy up before they woke the headmaster.”

“Typically, they found me when they came to wake you up anyway.” He laughed as he remembered the frantic or angry orderlies coming to get him whenever another student was out of bed and finding her under him, her modesty barely covered by a sheet.

“If he is trying to take your place as the next high priest, why are you helping him by tutoring him?”

“Father Ashton asked me to. He wants to see Edward mature as a professor at the Academy. The students need someone who will teach them basic proper techniques and build on those. Currently, he teaches short cuts to spells that he has figured out, but all of them have disastrous consequences if a student makes a minor mistake. He needs to show them the traditional way before he forces them to do things quickly.” It still irritated him that Edward would risk student lives so he could show off and try to prove he was smarter than everyone else in the room. To Faustus, it only further proved that Edward didn’t have the temperament to be high priest. He was still as volatile as he was when they were all at the Academy.

Zelda had gone quiet as she listened to what her brother was doing. He mentally kicked himself he should have steered her questions back to their happier days at the Academy instead of letting her ask more about her brother. She knew better than anyone just how unhinged Edward could get.

She shut her eyes. “Would you mind if we talked about something else?” 

“Of course, I’m sorry I brought him up.” She pasted a tense smile on her face, as she forced herself to focus on Faustus and not fall into her bad memories of Edward. She moved in closer to him, citing a chill before remembering she didn’t need to make up excuses to be near him. His arm tightened around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“I will be, just don’t let go yet.” He spoke softly about nothing, even finally telling her something about his father’s shipping company while she relaxed against him. Finding some comfort in his arms. They watched a family pass by, two children racing each other down the sidewalk while their parents held hands and followed behind. More people came and went while the sun began to sink behind the trees. As the sun’s rays disappeared the cold started creeping in. She turned back to him.

“Thank you”

“Feeling better?” She nodded her head slightly, even with her brother resurfacing today had been a wonderful break from the real world. 

She kissed his cheek “A perfect date in the city.” He raised a brow but wasn’t about to question it.

“Can I interest you in chicken and vegetables for dinner?” He asked in mock seriousness. A real smile broke out onto her face as her bright laughter filled the night air.

“So long as your cooking.”

“And what will you be doing?”

“Pouring the wine.” He laughed and pretended to consider it,

“Done.” He kissed her and when she opened her eyes they were back in her kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pardon me for the delay, I didn't like how the chapter ended while I was finishing it last night, so hopefully, this one was to your liking. I am also sorry to say that their perfect little holiday is coming to a close, the real world needed to catch up at some point and I have been putting it off. I hope you are having a marvelous day/night :)


	13. Chapter 13

Faustus screwed his eyes shut against the bright morning light pouring into her room. As he squinted against the glare, he twitched a finger and the curtains raced along their rod and covered the windows, shrouding the room in darkness once more. To his surprise Zelda was still asleep, sprawled completely on top of him. He saw no reason to get up early and in her current position, it wouldn’t have been possible anyway. Disturbing her first full night of rest seemed almost blasphemous. He traced her jaw with a featherlight touch, and with no one around to see he smiled softly. He could get used to this; long sleepy weekend mornings spent in bed with nowhere to be. Though he would settle for just consistently waking up and finding her still there. Granted this was her bed. It would have been up to him to sneak out before the sunrise and that was not a habit he wanted to get back into.

She shifted in her sleep and her hand came to rest on his chest. Though he knew she was still sound asleep it seemed almost purposeful, fitting even, that it stopped right over his heart. At this point, there was no doubt she already held it in her hands, whether she knew it or not.

He ran the back of a finger down her cheek gently. “What have you done to me, my love?” He whispered into the darkness. Every scenario he had built in his mind of what would happen after he found her again paled in comparison to his current reality. He cruelly reminded himself that their time in New York existed in a bubble, one that would eventually burst. He sighed, he just hoped when it did, she would stay.

As though cued by his worries a familiar ringing started in his ears, making him groan internally. Yet another summons to Blackwood Manor. One uninterrupted morning appeared to be too much to ask. Though ignoring it meant a headache for the rest of the day, he didn’t have the strength to disturb her rest, nor did he want to. His father would have to wait or find someone else to take care of it. Faustus settled back against the pillows and closed his eyes, at least she didn’t have anywhere to be. He held onto her hand and let her even breathing lull him back to sleep.

\---

Zelda stretched out and felt him shift beneath her. She opened her eyes in surprise and found she had not only wrapped around him but fallen asleep on top of him. Despite their discussion, last night about being more liberal with their affections, being on him all night seemed like a bit much. She went to get off but a hand on her back held her in place. She almost laughed, evidently, he wanted her this close. As tempting as staying in bed with him was, the light streaming in from the edges of her curtains meant that her presence would be required at the theatre soon. Trying not to disrupt his sleep she moved his arm and slipped out of bed. 

Her foot collided with one of the shoes she had hastily abandoned last night and she swore under her breath as she made her way to her closet. In the low light finding a leotard and a skirt proved challenging but eventually, she emerged dressed. After she finished her makeup in the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of the clock, it was earlier than she’d assumed. But now that she was up and dressed, there was little point in getting back into bed and risk waking him up. Instead, she followed the trail of discarded clothes back to her sitting room and sat down at her desk. She reread Hilda’s last letter about going over to England for a visit before she pulled out a fresh piece of stationary and started writing. As she neared the end, she glanced in the direction of her bedroom and wondered if she should mention him. Everything felt surreal, it still felt like if she said they were officially dating after all these years it would all come crashing down around her ears. Instead, she decided to keep it vague and wrote,

_You'll never guess who turned up at the theatre. Faustus was in town on business and found time to come to the show. He must have liked it, he sent flowers to my dressing room after._

Her prudish sister didn’t need to know they had shared a bed every night since. Though in retrospect her sister would probably assume as much anyway.

_Hope all is well, Z_

She thought about it a minute and in a bout of sentimentality wrote love above where she signed. Before she could think better of it, she put the letter in an envelope and it vanished from her hand. The clock on the mantle chimed and she snuck back into her room to grab shoes and place a kiss on his cheek before she hurried out.

\---

The next time he woke she was gone. He still didn’t know how she managed to slip away without waking him. He stood and walked into her bathroom. His eyes widened at the perfect lipstick kiss on his cheek. How he hadn’t at least woken up for that he didn’t know but he smiled at the fact that at least she said goodbye before she raced off. He washed his face off and dressed. 

With nothing planned for the day and no idea when Zelda would return, he apparated to his office and opened his sealed drawer. He pulled out the stack of documents and leafed through them until he found the two he was looking for. If nothing else he at least had time to finish reviewing them and making sure they were ready to be signed by the rest of the partners and then Faustus would be done with the whole affair. 

The ringing in his ear started again and he absentmindedly scratched at it. It stopped as suddenly as it started and he began writing in the margins again. 

“Faustus.” He looked up at the sound of his father’s voice and found him standing in front of the desk. Faustus’ eyes never changed from dull disinterest as he regarded his father, annoyed by the interruption more than anything else.

“Astral projecting to New York, father?”

“You continue to defy my orders. I didn’t have any other choice.” Faustus wanted to roll his eyes.

“Can’t this wait until I get back to Greendale?” He gestured down at the stack of papers with his pen.

“The Dark Lord only knows when you are coming back from your little holiday.” Faustus laughed humorlessly.

“Little holiday? Do you think I like being here doing mortal work when I have more important matters waiting for me at home? I’m up here because you sent me to fix your mess.” He scoffed.

“Hold your tongue boy.” Faustus’ eyes narrowed. “You say you hate it and yet when I call you home you resist.” Faustus thought back to Zelda and how she was the only reason he hadn’t swiftly dealt with the problem and returned to Greendale in the first place. He didn’t want to have to leave her behind.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small blue bird land on his windowsill, its bright colors out of place in New York. Perhaps if he could keep his father talking this problem would take care of itself. He knew it was wishful thinking, his father was many things but he wasn’t a fool. Faustus leaned back in his chair anyway as his father continued “I summoned you so we can finish the matter of your engagement.”

“Ah yes to a woman I haven’t spoken to in how many decades? Three? Four?”

“Faustus! That is enough.” He barked. White hot anger flowed through Faustus’ veins and he barely managed to control the hate in his eyes.

“Tell me, father, why are you hell-bound to this whole matter? You hated every second of your marriage to mum and yet here you are drafting a similar one for me. Constance wants to marry into a title and to become a high priest’s wife but what exactly am I getting out of this marriage?” He rested his hands on the table and the heavy accounting book from his study in Greendale appeared in front of him. He flipped it open and waved a hand at it. 

“It isn’t as if we need whatever sum they are paying for this union.” He peered at his father suspiciously. “What are they giving you that you want so badly?”

His father’s eyes trailed away from him as he looked at the growing number of birds outside. “You would find out if you bothered to read the contract and be involved in your own marital negotiations. Come home. Now!” With that last order, his father’s visage cut out and the birds flew off.

Faustus stewed in his large chair, angry that his father didn’t understand that no matter how many arrangements he made Faustus was never going to submit to them. It didn’t matter how many jilted brides he left at the Dark Lord’s altar, he had eyes for only one witch. A concept his father would never understand.

He slammed the book closed with a satisfying thud and sent it back to his study. He filed away his papers carefully before he apparated home. Faustus killed some time checking on things and fixing a few things with his housekeeper. Though he knew by now his father would be livid he walked out into the greenhouse to cut a few of the early blooms and fashioned them into a bouquet to give to Zelda. Only then did he apparate to Blackwood Manor.

Faustus didn’t recognize the young woman in a maid uniform who answered the door and took his coat. He walked up the grand staircase to his father’s room and knocked on the door. Another maid answered it and he paid her no mind as he brushed past her.

Lord Blackwood looked red in the face and furious, exactly how Faustus wanted him. “I see you found a new housekeeper. Was Ms. Roment getting too old?” He asked casually. 

“I called you here hours ago, Faustus.” The man practically hissed. 

“A matter came up at home, you know how it goes.” He stated evenly, as he picked up the top piece of paper from a stack on the desk. With one glance he knew it was the marriage contract. 

“You are not leaving until you sign that.” Faustus raised a brow and looked at where his father sat on the bed. Though clearly sick his father's hard gaze hadn’t changed and based on his appearance in New York the illness hadn’t affected his magic. 

“Oh?” He started reading through the stack of papers and found it worded differently. As he read through it, it not only closed the loopholes he had slipped through before but— He looked up sharply. “What is this?”

“A marriage contract.” That was understating it. The wording on this was more like a license if he signed his name it would be binding, he would be married to Constance. The actual wedding in front of the coven and the Dark Lord would merely be a formality. Faustus was tempted to rip the paper to shreds and be done with it but he didn’t have everything in place to spurn his father for good. There was still the matter of making sure Zelda would be safe from his father in the fallout of this engagement. Not to mention there was still Edward to contend with if Faustus publicly pursued her.

For now, he needed to play the part, most of it could likely be fixed if he would be allowed to make changes to the document. Near the end of the document, there was a clause that raised the stakes even beyond just Zelda. The sparks of his anger flooded back but he swallowed them down. Pretending to be unbothered he asked, “I would still like to know what they are giving you in exchange for my bachelorhood.”

“Faustus, I am old.” For the first time in Faustus’ recollection, his father’s stern baritone softened and for a moment he looked his age. His hair had long since gone grey but his sharp eyes suddenly looked tired and his usual rigid posture sagged against the pillows. Despite his father’s enfeebled state, he couldn’t find it in him to feel sympathy for the man he knew only as a stern tyrant. Even this vulnerability was likely a ploy to get Faustus to sign his life away. “You need an heir. A son.” He clarified.

“I didn’t realize Constance’s parents were clairvoyant. How many sons will she be giving me?” He said flatly.

The stern look snapped back into place confirming his suspicion that his father’s weakness had been faked. “Faustus! This is serious.”

“I’m taking it very seriously, father, tell me how many.”

“Constance is young and fertile—”

“This is a woman, not a prized mare.” He retorted. Then again if it had been a broodmare, they were discussing his father would likely speak more respectfully.

To his father’s credit, he changed tactics. “You need to marry. It was your mother’s dying wish, and I plan to see it through.” Faustus rolled his eyes and started going through the document trying to find anything he could use to his advantage. 

“Am I at least allowed the dignity of altering the terms of my own marriage?”

“No.” Faustus played up a smirk that made it look like he found something and his father fell for it.

“Fine but the final edits will be my own.” He muttered something under his breath but Faustus didn’t care what he said, he had a chance now.

“Of course, I would expect nothing else.”

“But you will make the edits now.” Faustus raised a brow and summoned a pen. He flipped back to the beginning and wrote in a few borderline ridiculous clauses about his and Constance’s imaginary children that his father would be forced to remove before he presented it to Constance’s father. His father would be looking for him to create loopholes, he needed to make them without seeming like he'd made any changes to the document. 

The nurse from earlier walked in and started measuring out potions and lining them up on his father’s bedside table. While his father was suitably distracted by the nurse’s short skirt, Faustus picked up his father’s pen off the desk and flipped to the last page again. With some silent muttering a few of the words disappeared off the page, he carefully replaced them with looser terms making sure the handwriting was an exact replica of his father’s neat script. Though it might not work it was a risk he needed to take if he wanted to somehow make it out of this an unmarried man. He made sure the ink had dried before he swapped his father’s pen out for his own and resumed writing in a few clauses that his father might agree to but would prove meaningless so long as his deception wasn’t discovered. They might even goad his father into thinking Faustus was submitting this time. 

The nurse left and Faustus reread the contract several times making sure it was how he wanted it. He made some additional clumsy word swaps so that his father might overlook the ones on the final page and then set his pen down. 

The sun had just about set by the time he finally handed the document over. His father pulled out a pair of antique reading glasses out of his doublet pocket and began to read.

\---

When Zelda returned from her grueling day at the theatre Faustus was nowhere to be found. She wasn’t terribly surprised she didn’t find Faustus waiting for her in her apartment but she was disappointed all the same. She would kill for him to massage out the knots in her calves. Rehearsal had been arduous and Tom made sure that everyone was spent before he sent them all home. Instead, she drew up a hot bath and winced when the water touched the open blisters on her feet. With a small healing spell, they vanished but the spell took more out of her than she had anticipated and she physically felt the last of her energy drain out of her. 

She settled back against the tub and her mind went back to the night they had shared a bath in his hotel room, a tired smile graced her lips at the recollection. The hot water started to soothe her stiff and aching muscles. Her hands slid limply off the edge of the tub and she shut her eyes. She fell asleep with the steam curling up and tickling her face. 

The room was noticeably darker when she opened her eyes again and she shivered in the tepid water. She quickly reheated it and this time remembered to place a spell on the water to keep it warm. She stretched out her legs and groaned when they protested. As much as she wanted to stay in the tub, she knew she needed to get out and cook dinner. She washed quickly and stepped out of the bath feeling slightly better. 

There was still no sign of him when she walked out to her kitchen. Vinegar Tom kept her company as she chopped up lettuce and made a chicken salad. She started to wonder if Faustus would be coming back. The dishes did themselves and she poured herself a glass of wine. She padded over to her desk to check for a note from her sister but didn't find one. She silently sipped her wine and watched the sun go down. Long after the city lights had turned on she still stood there with her empty glass of wine. Vinegar Tom nudged her leg with his cold nose and snapped her out of her thoughts. Faustus still hadn’t shown up and she forced herself to go redress and get ready to leave for Black Mass.


	14. Chapter 14

Faustus knew it was late. The sun had gone down hours ago and he was only just now approaching her door. Though he didn’t want to wake her up, going back to the hotel and sleeping alone would only make his bad day worse. He cleared his mind and tried to forget about the marriage contract if any hint of his frustration showed she would question him about it, and he wasn’t ready for her to know. Not yet. Silently praying she would answer the door, he knocked.

Her hands stilled on the final buttons of her dress and an unbidden smile spread across her face at the sound of a knock on her door. she checked her appearance in the mirror before going to open the door for him. As anticipated, she found Faustus standing in the hall looking as dashing as always, if a bit tired.

“Are those for me?” She asked as she stepped aside to let him in. He pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“As a matter of fact, they are.” He handed her the bundle of colorful flowers. “Consider them an apology for my late intrusion.”

She smelled the spring blooms. “They’re beautiful.”

“I wish I could take all of the credit. I confess some help.” She laughed as she adjusted them.

“From who?”

“A lady of considerable taste,” he said cryptically. She shot him a look and smirked.

“Fine don’t tell me.” She kissed him. “Thank you.” He put his hands on her hips and brought her closer, kissing her deeper. Her eyes closed and the strenuous day seemed to fade away. For some reason, it felt like he’d been gone for days, not mere hours. She pulled away before the temptation to miss mass became too tantalizing to refuse and walked towards the kitchen. As she put the flowers in a vase and adjusted them, he brushed her hair aside and kissed on the skin below her jaw, his hands coming to rest on her hips. Her eyes fluttered closed and she turned into him slightly to expose more of her neck. “Where were you?” She murmured. He barely took his lips off her skin to respond.

“We can discuss it later. I have a far more pressing question—” His hands trailed up to her waist, toying with the lace. “—where are you going in this dress?”

“Black Mass.” His lips paused on her neck. In all the commotion with his father, he had completely forgotten what day it was. Ever the devout witch, she never missed celebrating the Sabbath, and he wasn’t about to ask her to. He would have to wait to get her into bed.

“And you are here just in time to finish buttoning my dress.” She held up her hair so he could see the row of buttons going up her back. He finished closing the last few and she turned around. The black lace going up her throat stood out on her pale skin. The lace covered her shoulders and continued down to her knees. A black slip kept the dress from being completely shear but his mind easily filled in the blanks. Waiting for mass to end might be the death of him. Somehow it always seemed as though she dressed just to torture him. Those countless buttons going down her back begged to be undone. 

She picked up the vase of flowers and moved them onto the kitchen island by the sink before she nonchalantly turned and left to go back to her bedroom. Fully aware of the effect the dress was having on him. 

The clicking of her sharp heels paused as she walked back past him. “You’re welcome to join me if you wish.” 

Not normally a warlock who embraced change, the idea of going to a Satanic mass somewhere other than the Church of Night sounded irreverent, he was not about to let her go out dressed like that unescorted. High-necked or not, the dress still hugged her body sinfully. While others might not be so well acquainted with her body to know exactly what it looked like under the slip, he’d be there to make sure their imaginations didn’t run too wild. Not to mention a night out with her after his trying day with his father sounded wonderful, no matter how tired he was.

“Well someone needs to keep the hordes of men off of you.” She frowned slightly, unimpressed.

“Never mind, you can just stay here.” She turned away back towards her room.

“Zelda, wait,” he said, exasperated. She humored him and turned back around.

“What? If you are going to insist on spending the evening in a jealousy fueled rage and fighting every warlock that I come into contact with, you can stay here, I will be home in a few hours.” She turned away, disappointed in his answer. Despite their combined devotion to the Dark Lord, they'd never partaken in mass together. Every week they would sit on opposite sides of the church, forcing themselves to never look at one another lest Edward see. While she wanted him there more than anything, she would wait until he wanted to there for no other reason than to be with her.

Her shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly as she went to walk away again. He caught her hand. “Hey,” he turned her back around, “I’m sorry.” She pursed her lips. “Let me try again?” He looked at her the way a schoolboy would look at their teacher after he answered a question incorrectly. Though her eyes remained stern she nodded her head for him to continue. 

“I would love to go to mass with you and I apologize for being an ass.” He brushed her hair back and ran his thumb along her cheek. While she doubted they would get through the evening without at least one mishap he at least looked willing to try and control himself.

“I suppose you may accompany me.” He gave her a boyish smile. “Oh, stop grinning.” But she couldn’t keep a smile from breaking through her stern expression. On account of her heels, he didn’t have to lean far to kiss her and she responded enthusiastically. 

“You really don’t need to worry,” she said after he pulled back, her green eyes serious once more. 

While he was tempted to smirk and give her another caddish remark, he found he no longer wanted to. “I know.” He kissed her softly, cherishing it more than he usually did. His answer surprised him, but he supposed it was true. He reluctantly let her go, midnight was approaching.

“I will be right back.” He stole another kiss before he disappeared to change. Alone in her kitchen once more she returned to her bathroom to pin up her hair while he was gone. He returned in record time in one of his seemingly endless supply of black suits, however, he forwent the western business tie preferred by mortals and instead wore an old-fashioned cravat. She picked up the black fur stole from her bed and wrapped it around her shoulders before she turned back to him.

He drank in her appearance, still unsure if he would survive an hour next to her dressed as she was. “You look good enough to eat.” 

She smiled coyly. “I should hope so. Maybe if you play nice tonight, you’ll get to.” Her head tilted suggestively. Before he could come up with an answer, she brushed past him, leaving the tantalizing smell of her expensive perfume in her wake. 

“Your ride or mine?” She called over her shoulder, turning back to him after she was a safe distance away. He curiously lifted a brow.

“Yours?” She half smiled and half smirked as she took his arm. They apparated into the church’s lobby where other people were appearing as well. He leaned close to her ear.

“I figured your ride meant something other than simply magicking us here.” She smiled up at him.

“I know. I wanted to give you the opportunity to have a little fun in the back of your limousine—” Her hold on his arm tightened as she leaned in closer. “—Maybe ruin my hair how you like to.” She suggested silkily.

“You tricked me.” She hummed her agreement and led them into the sanctuary where they found an empty pew and sat down.

The large church dwarfed Greendale’s. Instead of the familiar vines and candles, large shimmering chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling to illuminate the room. Witches and warlocks weaved between the pews greeting one another. Everyone seemed friendly. Clearly, the big city allowed for a congregation with less drama than secluded Greendale. Then again most of them probably lived double lives like Zelda, petty bickering would only ruin a night spent with their own kind. Zelda started talking about a few of the people milling around when the unlit candles on the alter flared to life. People quickly finished their conversations and settled into their seats. A man in high priest robes emerged and walked down the aisleway, his shoes ringing on the stone floor. As he passed their seats Faustus noted he looked remarkably young for a high priest of a congregation of this size. By his guess, the priest might even be a few years younger than himself.

Zelda leaned in close to him. “That is Father Anthony Staven. He replaced the previous high priest ten years ago.” As the man began speaking, Faustus had to admit he possessed a gift, even Father Ashton didn’t give sermons as moving or thought-provoking. Looking at the large enraptured audience, Faustus felt some jealousy creeping up.

Almost as if she could read his mind her hand found his and intertwined their fingers. He glanced at her but she stayed focused on the high priest. It could have been a coincidence but she also moved closer to him, distracting him from thinking about the high priest. He didn’t know if she did it on purpose but regardless, he had to stop a small smile from reaching his lips as he saw their joined hands. When he resumed listening to the sermon, he found himself enjoying it more especially when her hand occasionally squeezed his.

As the service came to a close the satanic choir led the church in a few songs and he came to the decision that mass would have been worth it just to hear her sing again. No one in the choir sounded half as sweet as she did. 

The dimmed lights, brightened and people began socializing once more, no one seemed to be in a hurry to leave. Several people walked up and talked to Zelda, only giving him a cursory glance before asking her about the show and her week. In return she asked after their families and their jobs, sharing a few jokes that he didn’t understand and in general enjoying her one evening of the week not spent among mortals. For the most part, he simply stood behind her and let her do the talking. She seemed more relaxed here, even at the Church of Night she always seemed on edge. Then again Edward constantly putting pressure on her to be perfect all of the time didn’t lend itself to enjoying much of anything. 

Two older witches replaced the small group they had been talking to and exchanged pleasantries with Zelda, before looking him up and down. “Zelda, who is the handsome stranger?”

“This is Faustus Blackwood, my—” Her throat seemed to catch.

He stepped forward and took one of their outstretched hands. “I’m the boyfriend.” He finished smoothly, placing a kiss on the back of the woman’s hand. Both women tittered and blushed.

“So gallant,” they directed at Zelda. She gave them a tight-lipped smile before they walked away.

She turned to face him. “I’m sorry I…” Her gaze glanced off him.

“Zelda, it's fine.”

“But—”

“I’m serious. Don’t worry about it.”

“Promise?” He smiled as she looked up at him with an expression he didn’t wholly recognize.

“I promise.” He placed a tender kiss to her lips. A polite cough drew them back to the fact that they were still in the church. She spun around, her eyes widening at the sight of the high priest.

“Sister Zelda, care to introduce me to your friend?” He had a small smile on his face that Faustus didn’t quite understand.

“Father Anthony.” She cleared her throat trying to regain some composure. “This is my boyfriend, Faustus Blackwood.” Faustus smiled pleasantly at the priest, pleased she had finally said the word, and to her high priest no less. To his surprise, the high priest broke out into a broad smile and laughed good-naturedly.

“So, you managed to tie down this beautiful minx? Congratulations.” Faustus shook his outstretched hand, slightly confused by the priest’s amiable tone, until he realized Zelda’s slip. She’d called him Father Anthony instead of Father Staven. He cast a sidelong look at Zelda. Their relationship clearly went beyond just confessional. Faustus’ jealousy was short-lived however, when the high priest's affable smile never faltered, almost amused by the situation. Faustus had a long history of dealing with Zelda’s spurned ex-lovers after she eventually returned to him. But the high priest was a far cry from the furious warlocks he usually dealt with. He seemed genuinely happy for her.

“Wonderful sermon this evening, Father Staven.” Zelda slipped her arm through Faustus’ again, impressed he hadn’t tried anything in front of Anthony.

“Thank you, sister Zelda.” They joined the line of people exiting the large sanctuary. Father Staven walked alongside them exchanging greetings with those who were still around. Out in the lobby, Faustus held up Zelda’s fur so she could slide it around her shoulders. He pulled his coat on just as the high priest rejoined them. 

“Will Mr. Blackwood be joining us for dinner tonight?” he asked Zelda. Faustus raised a brow at the priest’s insinuation and this time couldn’t resist putting a possessive hand on her back. Perhaps he’d dismissed the priest too quickly. She gave the priest an apologetic smile.

“It’s late and I’m afraid today has been arduous. Another night?” 

“Of course. A pleasure to meet you, brother Faustus.” The priest put on his coat and tipped his hat to them.

Though he knew his suspicion to be unfounded he couldn’t help his curiosity as to how far back Zelda and Father Staven went. “Your excellency, may we at least offer you a ride home?” Faustus said before the high priest could leave. 

“I don’t want to impose.” He said with a raised brow.

“It’s no trouble.” Zelda gestured towards the door. “Shall we?” 

They stepped outside and found Gerald standing on the sidewalk with the car idling in the street. 

“One day you are going to have to explain your chauffer’s telepathic tendencies.” She whispered in Faustus’ ear, low enough that Father Staven wouldn’t hear.

“But that would ruin the fun.” He whispered back, smirking out of the corner of his mouth. She rolled her eyes and allowed him to hand her in to the car after the high priest. Father Staven took the rear-facing seat while he and Zelda took the opposite side. Despite the high priest’s presence, Zelda stayed close to him, close enough that her hip pressed up against his. Faustus casually put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into it. 

The high priest gestured around the soft leather interior of the limousine. “You must tell me, Mr. Blackwood, what it is you do.” 

“It’s Lord Blackwood, actually Father Staven.” Zelda corrected him. The priest raised his brows.

“Oh?”

“I am the sole heir to my mother’s title in England,” he explained, waving the matter off. In comparison to high priest, the title meant little. “To answer your question, my father started one of the major shipping corporations based here in Manhattan. I have been running it in his stead since his retirement, hence the need for the mortal trappings. Although automobiles have grown on me recently.” He gave Zelda’s shoulder a small squeeze that the high priest wouldn’t notice. After all, he only enjoyed them when he rode with her. “Other than that, I am a professor at the Academy of Unseen Arts in Greendale.”

The high priest smiled in recognition, “Oh, you and Zelda grew up together?”

She and Faustus exchanged a look. “No, not exactly. We met at the Academy; Greendale is more separated than you would think,” she said. The priest nodded.

“So how long have you been together?’ Faustus had intended to use the ride to learn about the high priest but instead, it seemed they were the ones answering the questions.

“That is a complicated question, Your Excellency. Technically a week—”

“—But in actuality, it’s been much longer than that” she finished. Though their answer appeared to confuse the high priest, neither of them were in any hurry to expand on it. He didn’t think he would be able to if he tried. How would he explain the way they danced around one another and their relationship consisted of a few stolen days scattered over decades or the way he pinned after her whenever she disappeared again?

“If you are only visiting New York have you been able to see Zelda perform?” Faustus looked down at her, the small smile on his face concealed in shadow.

“Once or twice.”

“Are you by chance the thrower of the white rose?”

“It isn’t a—”

“Yes, yes he is.” Zelda interrupted. “He knows they’re my favorite.” Faustus glanced over at her, finding it odd she cared if Father Staven knew the truth about the flowers.

“Wealthy, a gentleman, and he has a title. It appears you found quite the catch, Zelda.” In the dim light of the car, he couldn’t be certain but he thought her cheeks colored. She put a hand on his knee and smiled up at him, almost adoringly.

“Yes, I am very lucky.” Her hand squeezed his leg. If the high priest hadn’t been there, he would have been grinning ear to ear. The things he wanted to do to her, if only they were alone. Instead, he forced himself to be patient, the address the high priest had given Gerald was only a few more blocks. He put his hand over hers and forced himself to look back at the priest before those green eyes completely engrossed him.

“What about you, Father Staven? Is there a Mrs. Staven?” The priest chuckled, but Faustus noticed his subtle glance at Zelda.

“No there isn’t. At the moment I am married to the job.” They turned down the priest’s street and he called out to Gerald. The car stopped on the curb alongside some large brick townhouses. The priest turned back around and reached his hand out to Faustus. “A pleasure meeting you, Lord Blackwood.”

“Likewise.” Faustus took his arm off her shoulders to shake his hand. Father Staven bid them goodnight and stepped out of the car. To her disappointment, Faustus didn’t immediately put his arm around her again. Instead of waiting for him, she took his hand and wrapped it around her shoulders. 

He tightened his arm around her, glad to see she hadn’t only accepted it because of the high priest’s presence.

“A standing post-mass dinner date with the priest? Should I be worried?” he said, only half-joking.

“What do you think?” she said sarcastically, wanting to get back to those lusty thoughts that had practically been radiating off of him when she grabbed his leg.

“I don’t know, you put on quite the show for him.”

“A show?” 

He raised a brow. “Zelda, never in my life have I seen you as affectionate as you were tonight.” He had enjoyed every bit of her initiating everything but he could help the nagging worry that the timing seemed to coincide with mass. 

She pushed him away from her and moved to the window. “Fine, forget it. Don’t worry it won’t happen again.”

His head dropped. “Zelda, no that isn’t what I meant.” 

“How was I supposed to take it then, Faustus? You accuse me of using you to get at the high priest as if I didn’t rebuke him to spend the evening with you.” She turned back to the window, crossing her arms in front of her chest. He caught Gerald looking back at him in the review mirror with a ‘you fucked up’ look on his face. As if he didn’t already know that. 

“Zelda.” He said gently sliding towards her. “Zelda, I’m sorry.” 

“Is it really so hard to believe that I missed you today? Hmm? That I wanted to show you off to my friends the way you did with your business partners? Is it really difficult to fathom I was excited to finally bring you into my life here?” She scoffed and turned away again.

Her answer shocked him, and he didn’t even know how to respond other than look at her in adoration. She muttered something under her breath.

“I didn’t catch that.” He said tenderly, taking her hand in his. He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it, before turning it over and kissing her wrist. She stayed facing the window but didn’t pull her hand out of his. “Zelda, dearest, what did you say?”

“I told you, you don’t have anything to worry about. Not from Anthony nor anyone else.”

“I’m sorry, Zelda. I didn’t know what to think.” She turned to look at him again.

“Faustus, you have said it enough times, how I never come near you when other people are around. I didn’t hold your hand or stay close to you because people were watching, I did it despite them.” She hated admitting it but frankly, it felt natural to take his hand in church, and despite every voice in her head screaming not to, she held it anyway. From his smile at the time, she thought he’d understood.

“I realize that now, and I didn’t mean to ruin it.” Her eyes met his.

“Father Staven is only a friend.” She gave him the same adoring smile as earlier. “Now will you stop being an ass so I can do what I’ve wanted to do all night and finally make out with you in this car?”

“Gladly.”

“Thank Satan,” she sighed in mock relief. Instead of turning to kiss him she shifted to sit in his lap.

The partition between the driver and the back seat closed with a wave of her hand. She teased her fingers under the collar of his suit as she leaned closer. “Besides plenty of women were eying you up.” He hadn’t even noticed them. “Add that to the fact you showed up in my favorite suit and you honestly expected me to be able to keep my hands off of you tonight?” She asked huskily.

He could say the same thing about everything she wore, but he’d gotten himself in enough trouble already. Her hands gripped his lapels tighter as her hungry kiss met his lips. His hands instinctively went to her hips, drawing her nearer.

Her lips continued to move against his, tasting him and letting her own possessiveness loose. With her lungs screaming at her, she broke it off but rested her forehead against his. “Still worried about Anthony?”

Despite his brain rapidly losing focus on everything but her, he chose his words carefully. “He may have his high priesthood and a grand church, but if I have you, I believe I win.” She smiled broadly and her hands started to wander under his jacket. He playfully rolled his eyes and smirked. “Though I’m starting to think you just like undressing me in a tux.”

She laughed. “Good, you’re finally catching on.” She flashed a smile before she pressed her lips to his again. The tender kiss undermined her words and he leaned in it to draw it out. When she deepened the kiss and started to undo the buttons on his vest, he knew he needed to take this elsewhere or there would be no hiding what was happening in the backseat, partition or not. 

The hum of the car’s engine died and the slight jostling of the car stilled. She opened her eyes and saw her bedroom instead of the interior of his car. “Showing off, Faustus?” Most witches wouldn’t attempt to apparate while moving.

“Maybe a little.” He chuckled. 

“Trying to impress me?” He pressed his and into her back and pulled her against his chest. She put her hands on his shoulders and he looked up at her, his icy blue eyes burning.

“Always.” She ran her hands through his slicked-back hair, messing it up.

“Are you sure it’s not about Father Staven?” She asked carefully. His eyes flashed at the mention of the high priest. She gently cupped his face in her hands, unsure of how to make him realize she held no interest in any warlock but him without stating it outright. But she didn’t think she could swallow her pride and do it.

“Faustus…” She waited until she had his full attention. “I’m here with you, isn’t that proof enough about where my loyalties lie?” 

He knew she was right but the man irritated him. Her hands moved to the base of his neck and she gently ran her nails through the short hairs there. “I’m not used to seeing you insecure, Faustus.” She cooed in his ear.

“I don’t like it when people try to take what is mine.” His gazed intensely into those green eyes. “Especially you.” 

She flashed back to their first dinner in New York when he first called her his on accident. The rush she felt then was nothing compared to what she felt now with him saying it on purpose.

Her silence worried him, at least until she crushed her lips to his. It was so unexpected that it pushed him off balance and he fell backward onto the bed, pulling her down with him. She squeaked as his hands lost their hold on her and she landed beside him. She looked over at him, her neat bun now askew, and burst out laughing, he joined in while her hands tried to fix her unruly hair. He propped himself up on an elbow just to admire how she looked even more beautiful now than when they left.

As she tried to adjust the pins, she came the foregone conclusion her bun was beyond repair. She glanced at him apologetically and left him on the bed to go pull out the pins tangled in her hair as quickly as possible.

He chuckled at her vanity and she shot him a look over her shoulder. While he waited, he tossed his jacket and vest onto her chair before following her to the bathroom. He leaned against the door frame and watched her methodically let her hair down. She caught him staring and smirked at his reflection, choosing to shift her legs more than strictly necessary so the dress started riding up her thighs. 

While he appreciated the improved view, he couldn’t help thinking over their conversation with Father Staven. After her display, the high priest no longer registered as a threat but his curiosity about Zelda’s past with him remained. He knew he probably wouldn’t like her answer but he needed to know. “You’ve slept with him, right?”

Her eyes flicked up to meet his in the mirror. She thought she’d distracted him enough to get him off this topic. Though his jealousy didn’t seem to be in control anymore.

“I believe you were the one who accused me of seducing every warlock in Manhattan.”

“But he’s your high priest.” She pulled out the last pin and her hair fell down her back.

“He’s still a warlock,” she stated nonchalantly, wishing to move on from Anthony. Now they were alone and he could finally do whatever he wanted with her with no one to interrupt them. But, instead of claiming her with his body, he stayed focused on the past. She would just have to make his possessive side come back out to play. She turned and stalked toward him, her eyes as dark as her smirk. “Albeit a well-endowed one,” she baited. He raised a brow.

“Perhaps I should go? Then you can go back to fucking him?” She locked her arms around his waist and laughed.

“Perhaps you should.” She kissed him and started undoing the buttons on his shirt, while her lips moved to an easier to reach location on his neck. He stood stiffly as though still considering leaving. However, once she started untying his cravat, he couldn’t maintain the façade and pulled it off for her, sending the pin clattering to the floor. He grabbed her hips and shoved her against the door. She smiled up at him.

“Tell me does he moan your name like I do, Zelda?” Her name rolled off his tongue like a prayer and she forced herself not to answer. His fingers deftly undid the endless buttons that held the dress to her body, only pausing for her to push his shirt off. She slipped her hands under the t-shirt underneath to feel the muscles on his chest. He grabbed the back of the shirt's collar and pulled it over his head and tossed it. He pulled her onto him roughly as he tore through the last buttons on her dress.

“Does he make you scream as loud as I do?” He growled. Her breath hitched as he started savagely kissing her neck. He forced the dress off her shoulders biting the newly exposed flesh. Her arms were back around him before the dress even hit the floor. He lifted her effortlessly and dropped her on the bed. 

The black lingerie she wore made his slacks tight. The lace didn’t obscure much of anything and looked as though he could tear it off like paper. He leaned over her and planted a few kissed to her abdomen while he ran a nail up her side making her quiver. He took a nipple into his mouth and teased it through the thin lace. It hardened against his tongue and he started rolling her other breast in his hand.

She sucked in a breath as he gently nipped at her breast. Her eyes closed as he started massaging the bite with his tongue, dampening the lace. He tweaked her other breast and she had to bite her lip to keep from moaning, knowing it would answer his questions. With one last swipe of his tongue, he let go and the air felt cold in the absence of his lips. His leg slid against hers and when she opened her eyes his face hovered inches above hers.

His dark eyes held lust and promises of sin but they somehow remained soft, the way they’d looked in the back of his car after she said how lucky she was. Despite her goading, he stayed in control, playing her game without being possessed by jealousy. He finally believed her. She broke from the script and pulled him down to her, crushing his lips to hers. 

He wove a hand into her hair to keep her from ending it. Her tongue danced around his slowly and deliberately until his lungs screamed for oxygen. Even when he let go of her hair, she continued the kiss a little longer before she let her head fall back onto the mattress, her chest heaving. When he tried to move, her legs came up and trapped his hips between her knees. While she struggled to slow her uneven breathing, he remained willingly caught in her hold. He let a hand roam across her body, squeezing her breasts through the damp fabric. He sucked on the skin behind her ear and her eyes fluttered closed.

“Does he worship you like I do, dearest?” His low husky voice in her ear left her undone. She met his burning gaze and put a finger on his chin, drawing him nearer. 

“No, no, and no,” she breathed against his lips. She felt his smile as he kissed her again. When he pulled back he tried to memorize every feature of her face from her slightly swollen and likely bruised lips to the small cleft on her chin as she smiled up at him. He returned it before he blazed a trail of hot kisses down her stomach to the lace band of her underwear.

His nails dug into the creamy flesh of her thighs and he spread her legs, holding them down while he kissed her through the lace. The soaked fabric already tasted of her. He let go of one of her legs and rubbed her through the underwear, watching her press her head against the bed and buck against his hand. As her legs started to squirm, he undid his slacks with one hand while the other resumed holding her down. In a bout of theatrics, he snapped his fingers and her bra and thong vanished from her body, finally exposing every inch of her flawless skin.

Not even teasing her entrance he thrust into her wanting her to climb to her climax quickly. The friction between them built every time his hips slammed against her. The cries of pleasure escaping her lips egged him on, as they started to rise in pitch, he redoubled his efforts feeling himself coming closer. She started clenching her walls against him and his labored breathing turned to moans of her name. He slowed his relentless pace, pounding into her harder. Her toes curled into the sheets while her nails clawed up his back. The stinging pain and her spasming walls brought him over the edge and he spilled his seed inside of her. He braced himself on his hands and continued moving with her until her legs clamped around him and she called out his name

The world dissolved into spots of flashing color as her orgasm shook through her, feeling it down to her toes. When her vision returned, her legs still held him, she lowered them back onto the bed. He slipped out of her but when he didn’t join her on the pillows, she propped herself up on her elbows to look at him. He gave her a mischievous grin. 

“I seem to have missed dinner this evening, dearest.” She let her head fall back as she laughed, of course, he hadn’t forgotten. He forced her knees apart and nipped at the inside of her thighs. With the pulsing fire from the last orgasm still tingling through her veins, she sank back down as his tongue toyed with her folds, flicking across her clit and making her breath hitch every time. She gasped when he plunged his tongue into her. 

At the first swipe, the sweet-salty taste of her coated his tongue. Her hips involuntarily started to roll against his face and he opened her up further with his mouth. He hooked a hand around her thigh to keep her still while the other started teasing her clit. He lapped up her juices and listened to her moans and cries, they sounded like music. She tangled her hands in his hair keeping his head between her thighs. 

He replaced his fingers at her clit with his mouth and he propped her hips up. She lifted her legs and hooked them over his shoulders. He slowed his ministrations, deliberately toying with her, licking her folds slowly before plunging back into her. Her walls began to shudder as he swirled his tongue against them. Her hips twitched and rolled and she started pleading out just his name. She clamped his head between her thighs and he renewed his faster pace.

Her thighs pressed around his head drowned out most of her screams, but he did her his name mixed in with the calls to the Dark Lord and other wordless exclamations. Just when he thought she might suffocate him, her back arched up and she came in his mouth. He drank up the taste of her as her legs went limp and she let go of his head. He set her legs back on the bed and licked the last of her off his lips. He kissed up her ribs until he loomed over her once more with a feral smirk.

“I think I should have dessert for dinner more often.” A languid smile spread across her face. He kissed her one last time before he laid down next to her. She didn’t move at first her body still catching up from her back to back orgasms, but eventually, she crawled over and rested her head on his shoulder. She lazily curled an arm around his chest and shut her eyes.

It made him unreasonably happy that she had yet to go to sleep without touching him in some capacity. He turned off the lights and drew a blanket over her. One of her legs crossed over his and he put his arm around her. Though he wanted to bask in the moment, something about her and Father Staven’s story didn’t add up. 

“Zee?” Though already half asleep she mumbled something against his chest and he figured it was now or never. “Anthony could have handed you all the power in the world on a silver platter, why didn’t you choose to stay with him?" 

She lifted her head slightly to look at him. “Isn’t it obvious? He wasn’t you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took so long. This chapter required 7 rewrites to finish which is probably why this chapter is so dang long. I know I should have but I was too lazy to break it up into two chapters, so hopefully, it didn't feel tedious to you.
> 
> This fic is getting much longer than I originally planned so hopefully that is not a problem (do not take that to mean this is wrapping up. It's not, not by a long shot and so long as there is still interest I plan on finishing it.)
> 
> Anyways thanks for reading, your comments mean the world to me and keep me going when a chapter is a bear like this one and requires rewriting 7 times to get it right. Cannot thank you enough and I hope you are having a lovely day.


	15. Chapter 15

A loud ringing woke her seemingly minutes later. The moon still shone through her windows, her alarm shouldn’t have been going off yet. Just before she curled back into his warm embrace and succumbed to sleep again, she waved the alarm off but the ringing didn’t stop. In a short panic, she realized it was her phone ringing, not the clock. She pried one of her arms free and pressed the receiver to her ear.

“Zel—” A frantic voice on the other end cut her off and started speaking in a breathless rush. She rubbed at her eyes trying to assuage their stinging complaints about her lack of sleep. Finally, the man got to the point and she realized what he was talking about. Her grogginess disappeared and she interrupted his rambling. “I will come right over.” The line went dead and she hung up the phone. She switched on the lamp and immediately regretted it. The light burned her eyes as she tried to untangle herself from Faustus. She didn’t know when they started sleeping completely intertwined but it made getting out of bed without waking him difficult. Not that she would ever complain, she enjoyed waking up in his arms too much to do that. Finally free she sat on the edge of the bed she stretched and yawned.

“If you keep leaving in the middle of the night I am going to start chaining you to the bedposts.” She jumped at the sound of his low voice and glanced back at him, he still looked to be asleep.

“I’m sorry I woke you.” Though his arms looked far more inviting than getting ready she forced herself to get out of bed.

He opened his eyes and smiled as he caught the last glimpse of her naked body walking into her closet. Blinking against the light he picked up her clock off the bedside table. It was barely three am.

She pulled on a plain buttoned blouse and a black skirt, more subdued than her usual attire but practicality won out this morning. As she pinned up her hair in the mirror his strong arms encircled her from behind. He kissed her neck lightly. “Come back to bed.”

“I’m afraid I can’t.” His lips moved right behind her ear, to the spot he knew turned her to putty in his hands.

“Why not?” He wasn’t playing fair, his silky voice in her ear and Satan when he did that with his lips. She closed her eyes and tried to focus.

“Work.” She muttered. Reminding herself more than anything else, she undid his arms and put some distance between them. He leaned against the wall and narrowed his eyes.

“Zelda, its three in the morning they cannot possibly need you at the theatre this early.” 

“Babies don’t wait for normal business hours, Faustus.” He ran a hand down his tired face as it clicked.

“You’re still a midwife.” She nodded as she pulled on a pair of long leather gloves.

“Now if you please.” She shooed him out of the way so she could grab her medical bag from the corner. She turned to go but he caught her. “Faustus—”

He kissed her cheek. “Goodbye and good luck.” Her lips curled into a small smile before she apparated away.

Once she left he went to go back to bed but found Vinegar Tom curled up where Zelda had been sleeping. Faustus paused with his knee on the bed, unsure if he would be better off going back to his bed at the hotel or sleeping on the couch. Vinegar Tom stared up at him, he knew it was her familiar and not a dog but he recognized the look of the wide eyes and the tucked tail. Hesitantly he reached out to stroke the dog’s back.

“You get nervous when she goes off on her own too?” The beagle licked his hand. Faustus let out the breath he’d been holding, glad Vinegar Tom hadn’t bitten him. There was a time that hadn’t been the case, Faustus still had the scar. Careful not to disturb the dog, Faustus reached over him and turned off the lamp before pulling the covers up to get some sleep while they waited for her to return home.

\---

She shed her clothes the instant she apparated into her apartment and tossed them in the wash. Though exhausted she snuck into her bathroom and stepped into a hot shower to rinse off and relax before going to sleep again. She quietly tried to climb back into bed so as not to wake Faustus up but she found her familiar curled up in her spot on the bed. He blinked up at her and wagged his tail. She smiled and gave him a quick ear rub before she called him off the bed. 

Light began to shine on the horizon and she closed the drapes before finally lying back down. She’d barely gotten the blanket over her legs before Faustus reached for her.

“Welcome home. How did it go?” He asked sleepily.

Zelda smiled at him, remembering the happy couple she had left behind. “Both the mother and baby are safe and healthy. Thankfully it was a blissfully short labor, but after 13 months I can understand wanting an expedited delivery.” She moved closer to him. “Though the warlock I left outside the room seemed about ready to rip the hinges off the door every time his wife screamed.” The mental image almost made him laugh.

“What can we say? We’re protective of our witches.” As he looked at her with her bright eyes and satisfied smile, he couldn’t help picturing that exact scenario in their future. She gently brushed his hair out of his face. “I’m glad everything went well.” He kissed her nose and she laughed lightly. 

“Me too.” She turned to face away from him but allowed herself to be pulled against his chest. He unconsciously pressed a hand to her stomach and nuzzled against her neck. She indulged him and tilted her head.

“I see you and Vinegar Tom had some bonding time.”

“If you can call it that. But he didn’t bite me.” Zelda thought back to one time at the Academy when Faustus was in her bed and Vinegar Tom slipped through the school’s wards and clamped down on Faustus’ arm, trying to pull him off of her.

“I told you he would come around.”

“It only took him the better part of a century evidently,” he said dryly.

Zelda shook her head at him. “Stop it, the last thing I need is the two of you fighting.” She shifted against him and closed her eyes. “Now hush up and go to sleep. I am very tired.”

“Yes, dearest.” He pressed a kiss to her wet hair. Her breathing deepened almost instantly and she relaxed into his hold on her. Despite his current dilemma with his father and Constance, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about their future. Making this sleeping arrangement permanent, getting to hold her and see her every day for the rest of his life. He quickly fell asleep alongside her, dreaming of what could be.

\---

Less than an hour later her alarm went off and he felt her trying to wriggle out of his arms again. Before she could make much progress, he tightened his grip.

“Where are you going this time?”

“Work.” He gave her an incredulous look.

“Again?”

“Yes, and today is a full day, I will be at the theatre until the show tonight.”

“You work too much.” She raised a brow.

“I have spent nearly every waking moment with you in the past week. You need to learn to share.” He grinned up at her.

“Not my style.” She shook her head and kissed him.

“You know, I don’t complain when you go to work.”

“Yes, but you are stronger than me.” She laughed and placed her hands on his chest.

“Then unhand me before I make you.” He joined in her laughter as he held up his hands in defeat. She stayed on top of him and looked at him like she wanted to ask him something. Instead, she stayed quiet and went to dress. He stayed in bed until she came back out dressed in a leotard and a soft sweater, she’d chosen to leave her legs bare.

She yawned as she went into the bathroom to try and make it at least look like she had gotten any amount of sleep last night. Her makeup seemed to be able to hide the circles under her eyes well enough that she didn’t bother with an energy-draining glamour. 

When she returned to her bedroom, Faustus was no longer lying in her bed. Instead, he walked in holding a coffee mug in his hand. She perked up at the delicious smell wafting out of the cup. He smirked at the look on her face as he handed the coffee over.

“You are a hell send.” She took a sip and closed her eyes against the wonderful taste of the strong espresso.

“Wow, high praise for a cup of coffee,” he laughed.

“It tastes better when you make it.”

“I think you might just be tired.” She couldn’t argue with that so she took another large sip, prompting his laughter again. Her eyes flicked up to his over the rim of her cup.

“Are you coming to the show tonight?” She tried to pass it off as casual but to her, she sounded as vulnerable as she felt. Despite what she said earlier about not complaining when he wasn’t with her, she wanted to continue to spend as much time as she could with him before he went back to Greendale.

“I need to go home for a little while and take care of a few things but I will be done in plenty of time to make it to the theatre.” She hid her sigh of relief by downing what remained of her coffee. The cup disappeared from her hand and she looked up at him.

“Does this have anything to do with where you disappeared to last night?”

“No.” Before she could ask him about it, he continued, “we can discuss it later.” He moved towards the bathroom to get ready and to further discourage her questions but she stopped him with a gentle hand to his chest.

“Okay. See you soon.” She kissed him tenderly before she apparated away.

His gaze lingered where she had been standing. _See you soon_. He walked towards her bathroom almost in a daze. It was an unheard-of concept for them. They never knew when they would see each other next, it was part of the fun and the agony of their relationship. But now it was _see you soon_. He caught his stupid smile in the mirror and he shook his head at the absurdity.


	16. Chapter 16

After the show, she sat in front of her vanity absentmindedly twirling the latest ranunculus flower in her hands, still dressed in her costume from the last act. The sound of the door opening behind her snapped her back from her anxious musings. She turned expecting to see Tom there to discuss tomorrow’s dual shows but instead met Faustus’ steely blue eyes. In retrospect, she should have known it would be him. She didn’t know how long she had kept him waiting and she still wasn’t undressed.  
   
“Don’t look so disappointed, dearest.” She gave him a halfhearted smile as he stepped through the door.  
   
“Sorry, it's been a long day.” He studied her carefully. Even considering her lack of sleep last night she looked exhausted. Though she’d performed flawlessly, her face showed none of her usual post-show exuberance. The corseted costume looked to be the only thing keeping her sitting upright.  
   
“Is something the matter?”  
   
“No, no. Everything is fine.” She waved him off and stood. Instead of taking the flower with her to put with the others, she left it on her vanity and went to her dresser. Normally he wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but considering how meticulously she cared for the other ones, forgetting it felt personal. He tried to think of what he could have done to upset her but nothing came to mind. He hadn’t seen her since she’d cheerfully kissed him goodbye in her apartment.  
   
She began to undress but her hands stilled at the bow on her back and she looked over her shoulder at him. “Would you mind?”  
   
Pleased he could at least be useful while he tried to figure out what was bothering her, he walked up behind her and started to untie the lacing on her back. “It’s been a long time since I last freed you from a corset,” he commented as he expertly pulled the ribbons loose. While he undressed her, he pressed small kisses to her neck and shoulders and she rewarded him with quiet sighs. Once the garment loosened, he gently pulled the straps down her arms and kissed the indented skin.  
   
Her hand came up and ran through his hair as she leaned against him. With nowhere to rush off to he put his hands on her hips and continued to softly kiss the back of her neck, wishing to take away whatever left her shoulders so tense.  
   
“Would you tell me if something was wrong?” He asked delicately. Her nails ceased their gentle scraping through his hair and she let the costume fall to the ground.  
   
“Everything is fine,” she said as she lifted her knee to untie her pointe shoes. The hesitation in her answer only worried him more. Allowing him to undress her after he’d watched her undo her costume numerous times meant the world to him, she never let anyone help her. But in the face of her lie, it seemed a small victory.  
   
When she turned back to him fully dressed, her eyes had the same distant stare he noticed when he entered her dressing room. He held up her fur coat and she slipped into it. In what he hoped was a reassuring gesture, he gave her arms a small squeeze before they turned to leave. The palpable silence between them lingered but he didn’t know what to say.  
   
Despite her withdrawn behavior, she wrapped her arm in his and leaned against him as they walked through the lobby past the few remaining patrons. He sent thanks to the Dark Lord none of them recognized her and stopped them. Once they were alone again, he let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her, suddenly feeling an overwhelming need to protect her.  
   
Though warmer weather had finally reached Manhattan, the temperature still plummeted after the sun went down. He stopped them before the doors and he put his opera scarf around her neck. He thought he saw the glimmer of a smile before they stepped outside. Oddly she didn't complain about his overbearing actions. She silently stepped into the car and immediately tucked herself against him when he sat down. Gerald pulled away from the curb and headed towards her apartment but even he looked concerned when Faustus met his eyes in the rearview mirror.  
   
“Did something happen today? Are you okay?” He knew he risked angering her but the way she looked up at him like she was trying to memorize his face in the light of the passing street lamps scared him. He knew the look. For her, it usually spelled out the beginning of goodbye. “Zelda, what’s wrong?” Even though she moved closer to him in an effort to assuage his worry, it only intensified it.  
   
A hint of panic entered his voice. “Zelda?”  
   
“I’m fine, Faustus. Just tired.” Her answer didn’t soothe him any but so long as she stayed next to him, she couldn’t go anywhere. The haunted look in her eye disappeared and she rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.” She said quietly.  
   
“I’m sorry too.” He whispered into her hair, though he didn’t know what for. They passed the rest of the drive in silence but despite her closed eyes, she didn’t sleep. When they reached her building, Gerald helped her out of the car but she waited on the curb for Faustus. They walked in together and she held onto his hand, but even in the elevator, she didn’t come any closer. Once they entered her apartment, she started a fire in the fireplace with a flick of her wrist and walked to the sidebar. His hopes of taking her straight to bed so she could finally get some sleep were quickly dashed as she poured herself a drink and offered him one.  
   
He refused, not even sure if she should be drinking with how pale she looked, but he knew he couldn't stop her. Instead, he moved to sit on her couch hoping she would at least join him. But she continued to stand with her glass in her hand, lost in her thoughts.  
   
“Will you please tell me what is bothering you?”  
   
“It’s nothing.” She took a small sip of the liquor.  
   
“It’s something Zee, you won’t even look at me.” She set her glass on the mantle and shut her eyes, wishing she could drown out the thoughts in her head that had been tormenting her all day.  
   
 She straightened her spine and turned to face him, already fearing what his answer would be. “Where were you yesterday?” His face fell and all of the anxieties she had been trying to keep at bay came flowing back at once. “You avoided the question last night. And this morning.”  
   
He sighed, wishing she would have held out on asking him about his absence for a little longer so he would have some good news to go along with the bad.  
   
“Come here.” He moved his arm out of the way. “Please,” he added. Though hesitent, she dutifully sat down and rested against him. He didn’t speak but moved her closer to him and she placed a hand on his thigh.  
   
Her brows knitted together when he still didn’t say anything. “Faustus?”  
   
“My father summoned me yesterday, several times. When I continued to ignore them, he stopped by my office for a visit.” She looked up at him confused.  
   
“I thought you said he was bedridden?”  
   
“He is. He astral projected.”  
   
“To New York?” She asked, astounded. He glanced down at her and immediately wished he hadn’t. He thought about lying and telling her negotiations were still ongoing and they had more time. But looking at her face he couldn’t do it. She deserved the truth and deserved to hear it from him. He only hoped this wouldn’t be the last time he held her in his arms.  
   
“He forced me to sign my marriage contract yesterday.”  
   
“He what?” Her face contorted and she pulled back as he knew she would.  
   
“Zelda, I—” He reached for her but she backed away, eyes wide.  
   
“No, you… this doesn’t make any sense, I saw—” She shook her head— “Wait, did you want this?”  
   
“How could you even ask me that?” He asked quietly, wounded.  
   
“It’s a fair question,” she stated coldly, crossing her arms across her chest.  
   
“No this isn’t what I wanted.” She picked her glass back up and closed her eyes as she practically drained it in one swallow.  
   
“But you are marrying Constance?” None of it made any sense, the timing didn’t add up, everything was moving too quickly. It should have taken months for the contract to be drafted. She’d believed she had at least another week before he returned to Greendale. Now it sounded like she wouldn’t even get that. She knew it would have to end eventually but she’d expected more of a warning.  
   
“No.”  
   
She turned back to him. “What? You just said—”  
   
“I signed it. I know.” He ran his hand through his hair. “When the contract comes back from Constance’s father, I will find a way out of it. I have to.” She pinched the bridge of her nose as his words sank in. Even knowing he’d slipped out of six other engagements through the years, she couldn’t convince herself his father would allow him to get out of another. Surely, he would be taking every precaution to ensure Faustus couldn’t find a way to cheat his contract.  
   
“Zelda, this doesn’t change anything.” She let out a humorless laugh.  
   
“You just said you are leaving to get married!” A lit cigarette appeared between her fingers and she shakily put it to her lips. He ached to go to her and comfort her until she forgot all about this but he knew she would only rebuke him. She refused to look at him and started pacing in front of the fire. As she smoked through her cigarette, her features hardened and he realized he had been right in the car. He was losing her. She tossed the finished stub into the fire and seemed to be grappling with the idea of lighting up another while she watched the flickering flames. The unlit cigarette dangled from her fingers while she walked back and forth.  
   
“I can’t read your mind, Zee. Talk to me,” he almost begged. The cigarette ignited and the smoke started to curl up around her fingers, its cloying scent left a bitter taste in his mouth. Her continued silence only made him more anxious. Finally, she took a deep drag on it and dipped her head in resignation. She let the smoke curl out of her red lips before she turned to face him.  
   
“You should do it. You should marry Constance.” Even saying the words felt like stabbing knives into her chest. She wanted to take them back but knew she couldn’t. The game was up, they’d run out of time. Even without the contract, they couldn’t be together outside of New York and their little trysts. She brought the cigarette back to her lips to try and mask her pain from him.  
   
“What? No.” Rage flickered through him and he felt his nails bite into his palms. Even now after all their time together, she still wouldn’t let him in and allow him to stay in her life. Her continued blindness to what kept pulling them back to one another, decade after decade infuriated him. But even looking at her, his anger waivered. She looked as broken as he felt. Every punishing thing he wanted to say to her, any lie he could think of to hurt her the way she hurt him, stalled on his tongue and disappeared.  
   
“How could you say that?” He asked quietly, his face drawn in anguish. She quickly looked away otherwise she would never be able to say it. To end it.  
   
“I’m not the witch for you, Faustus.” She swallowed back her tears and forced herself to continue. “I can’t give you the things you need.” She could feel him behind her and she braced herself in case he made it physical. His hand resting gently on her hip instead surprised her.  
   
“Zelda, I don’t need you to give me anything. I only need you,” he said softly.  
   
“Faustus—”  
   
“Zelda, please look at me.” She turned around and hesitantly lifted her eyes back to his. “I’m not leaving you. I have made that mistake too many times. Whatever it is you think you are protecting me from, I can handle it.” He cupped her cheek tenderly and it took everything in her to keep her tears from falling. “Please talk to me. Let me help you.”  
   
She closed her eyes and her lip trembled as she inhaled another drag from her cigarette, but when she let out the plume of smoke it didn’t calm her or make her feel any better, it just burned. She flicked it into the fire and looked up at him, her eyes shiny with unshed tears.  
   
“You need to marry Constance.”  
   
He held onto her arms to keep her from turning away again. Every word hurt more than any wound she’d ever inflicted when they fought physically but after everything they’d been through, he wouldn’t let her push him away this time. He’d seen her stripped of all her walls and armor, and despite what she wanted the world to believe she wasn’t heartless. Their nights and days had been too intimate for this to be another one of their casual flings. She wanted this as much as he did. He didn’t know why she continued to resist a future with him. He ran his hands down her arms until he held her hands in his.  
   
“No. You are the only witch for me, whether you believe it or not.” He squeezed her hands tightly. His voice softened, “I want to lay the world at your feet, why won’t you let me?” He searched her eyes, waiting for her to realize she didn’t need to leave.  
   
“You won’t be happy with me. With Constance, you can have everything you want.” She tried to pull her hands out of his as more tears threatened to fall.  
   
“What are you talking about? I told you, all I want is you.” She couldn’t even enjoy getting to hear him say the words aloud, she knew he would change his tune the second she told him the truth.  
   
“You want more than me.” She took a halting breath. "I saw it last night."  
   
“Saw what?”  
   
She sighed and tried to focus on anything but his face and ended up staring at their interlocked hands. “When I returned from delivering the Crestbrow’s baby you accidentally let your wards down and I saw, well I saw me,” she admitted.  
   
She’d been falling asleep pressed against him when a scene started playing in her mind. Like the night he’d shown her his memories in her old ballet studio, she’d seen the world through his eyes. But instead of seeing a memory, she saw a dream. He’d walked down the porch steps of a manor and to where she played with a few small children in a garden. As he walked closer, she stood and her dress blew in the breeze, accentuating the swell of her stomach. Even in a dream, the emotions rolling off him overwhelmed her. The entire dream consisted of them standing together and watching as their children chased one another around the lawn.  
   
It had been so wonderful and so different from what she expected him to want, even recalling it made it hard to breathe. She almost asked him about it in the morning but her guilt over intruding on something so personal to him stopped her. And she hadn’t wanted to spoil it, though now it seemed there would be no avoiding it. With his marriage contract signed they needed to stop pretending they could last.  
   
“The future you dream about, with me, with our children. It's impossible.” She looked back up at him. “I’m sorry, Faustus.”  
   
“I don’t understand.” He dropped her hands and she missed his warmth. It only made it that much harder to tell him and drive him farther away.  
   
“The story I was afraid to tell you about on the night of the blizzard. It ends with an accident...” She trailed off, still not wanting to tell it.  “I will never be able to give you an heir.”  
   
“I don’t care.” He responded immediately.  
   
“Yes, you do. I know you. You’ve wanted a large family your whole life.” She put her hand to his cheek. “Constance can give you one.”  
   
He drew back from her hand, and she closed her eyes, crushed. “Zelda.” This hadn’t been how he wanted to tell her, but from her defeated expression it might be his only shot before she disappeared for good. “You aren’t the only reason I cannot allow my father’s marriage contract to come to fruition.” A thin line formed between her brows as she tried to figure out where he was going with this. He ran a hand through his already mussed hair. “I need to show you something.” He held his hand out and she eyed it warily. With one last concerned glance at him, she slipped her hand into his.  
   
A cool night breeze rustled through her hair when they reappeared in front of a dark country estate she didn’t recognize. Never letting go of her hand, he led her up the steps and into the house. Their shoes on the hardwood the only sound as they continued up the grand staircase and through the house. He stopped outside of a door but glanced down at her nervously before he opened it.  
   
She didn’t know what she expected to find behind the door but what she saw wasn’t it. A single candle burned on a nightstand and swathed the cream-colored room in a warm glow. She glanced back at him as she realized they stood outside a child’s bedroom. He motioned for her to enter and as she stepped into the room, she made out the sleeping form of a toddler on the small bed.  
   
“This is my daughter, Prudence.” Her eyes snapped back to him.  
   
“Daughter?” She asked quietly, unable to keep the disbelief out of her voice. He nodded.  
   
“If I marry Constance, Prudence becomes an orphan. Any connections to me will be severed and I will likely never see her again.” His voice quieted. “They will wipe me from her memory completely.” To her surprise, he swallowed thickly and then turned to her. “I have to find a way to nullify the contract. I stand to lose too much if I fail.” She remained quiet, looking at the sleeping girl, her mind still reeling at the news. Carefully composing himself once more he turned to look at her again.  
   
“If an heir is the only thing keeping you from me, it doesn’t have to. Prudence is a Blackwood until I marry Constance.” He could see her thinking and he silently prayed she would come back to him, but he could see her tears welling up again and she started to turn away.  
   
“Zelda, wait!” He reached out to grab her so she wouldn’t disappear without him when from behind him he heard a small voice.  
   
“Daddy?” Though he knew Zelda would run he let her go with a sigh and turned to his daughter.  
   
“Shhh, go back to sleep sweetheart it is very late.” Prudence sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes.  
   
“You’re back.” He walked over to her to tuck her back in.  
   
“Not yet, I still have more work to do.” She looked up at him with her big dark eyes. “But I will come to visit you again tomorrow.”  
   
“Promise?” He smiled down at her.  
   
“Yes, I promise.” She gave him a tired smile and he coaxed her back into bed. As he tucked her back in, he whispered, “Goodnight Prue.” She closed her eyes and he placed a kiss on her forehead. He stood from his kneeling position and shockingly found Zelda still standing there. Her eyes flicked from him to Prudence and then back to him.  
   
“Zel—” She disappeared before he could finish.  
   
She apparated home, needing to leave before she started crying in front of him. She pulled on her abandoned coat and stepped out onto her balcony and breathed in the frigid New York air. The tears she’d held in all evening started to spill down her cheeks. She didn’t know what to do about him, she’d spent the last twenty years trying and failing to outrun her feelings for him. She knew she was in love with him, and it was time she stopped trying to convince herself otherwise.  
   
The cold metal railing burned her hands but she tried to focus on it instead of the far more painful thoughts in her head. Just as her tears were starting to ebb, she cruelly reminded herself another witch had been able to give him what she never could. Though he said it didn’t matter, she knew it did. After seeing him with Prudence and how much he clearly adored her, she couldn’t deprive him of the family he deserved. As much as it pained her, she knew she couldn’t take that chance from him.  
   
The city lights started to blur as she gazed out at the city she’d called home for the last decade. Though she didn’t know where she would go next, she knew she would have to leave New York behind. The thought stung but barely scraped the surface of the depth of pain she already felt knowing she would have to leave him behind too. She wiped the tears off her face but they only continued to fall. She exhaled shakily no longer sure she would have the strength to stay away from him. A silent hope flickered in her as she wondered if he would come and find her again.  
   
Suddenly his hand was on hers. “Oh no, you don’t.” His low voice dangerously close to her ear. She hadn’t even heard the balcony door open.  
   
“Faustus…” She trailed off, unsure what to say.  
   
“You aren’t allowed to say my name like that. Not again.”  
   
Her mind raced back to the previous spring and the last time she visited Greendale. The pouring rain almost brought her back to her senses as she stared up at his ancestral home. However, she’d already risked returning and the thought of not seeing him left her climbing the stone steps and knocking on the door. Even though it had been well past midnight, Faustus had opened the door almost immediately. There had been something in his eyes she hadn’t understood, but he’d heaved a sigh of what sounded like relief upon seeing her. And then he'd pressed her against the outer entryway wall and kissed her like his life depended on it.  
   
As his lips moved against hers, she tried to remember when she had last seen him. It might have been before the war, but now that she was with him the time apart no longer mattered and she allowed herself to get drunk on his kiss. Though completely drenched she’d wrapped her arms around his neck and he'd apparated them to his bedroom.  
   
He tangled a hand in her wet hair before he broke the kiss. His forehead rested on hers while he tried to catch his breath. Having him so close, with his intense eyes staring into hers brought long-buried emotions up to the surface again. Satan, she hadn’t realized how badly she’d missed him until that moment.  
   
He'd kissed her slowly as he began to undress her, taking time to reacquaint himself with every inch of her body. His hands left trails of goosebumps behind and he’d shown her the true definition of what it meant to be worshipped that night.  
   
But she knew he was referring to what happened after all of that. As she lay next to him in bed he’d asked her to stay. Her only response had been his name. She’d remained in his bed until he fell asleep, but as she enjoyed his warmth, she realized she couldn’t stay. If she did, she wouldn’t be able to leave him again, and having feelings for him was dangerous for both of them. So, she’d taken her clothes and left.  
   
A hand on her hip brought her back to the present and her current predicament. She sighed and turned to look at him.  
   
“Faustus, it’s not fair to you.”  
   
“Not fair?” He looked at her incredulously. “Not fair? For the past thirty years, I haven’t been able to find you because you cloaked every trace of yourself. Was that fair? Or when no one could tell me if you were dead or alive for the entire four years of the War?” No longer able to look at her he leaned on the railing. “Do you have any idea how that felt?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. His confession left her speechless, she honestly hadn’t thought he cared. She reached for his shoulder but stopped short when he ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.  
   
“Damnit Zelda, I’m in love with you.” She swallowed thickly, not fully believing she heard him correctly.  
   
“What?”  
   
He turned to her, knowing it was too late to take it back. “I am in love with you, Zelda Spellman. Have been for decades.” He stepped closer to her and to his surprise she didn’t flinch away.  
   
“I love you too,” she said quietly.  
   
He looked at her with pain in his eyes. “Then stop running.”


	17. Chapter 17

He took her hands into his, holding them tightly when he realized they were ice cold. Searching her eyes for some sign she believed him. Silent tears streamed down her face and she turned her head away.

“I-I need you to go.” She pulled her hands from his to wipe away her tears. When he didn’t move, she swallowed a sob “Please. I can’t—" She turned her back to him and her shoulders began to shake. 

“No. I am not leaving.” He walked up behind her and put a hand on her. “Zelda, you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to run anymore.” She brushed off his touch and retreated to the railing, moving as far away from him as she could. He took a step towards her.

“Stop,” she whispered, and behind her he paused but when she closed her eyes to stop the flow of tears, she suddenly felt him behind her. As tears continued to fall, she tried and failed to compose herself. She didn’t want him to see her like this. “Please, just go.” 

Her quiet plea broke something inside of him and all the air compressed in his lungs. Even after admitting she loved him, she still wouldn’t stay. For the first time, her refusal to face him felt like a blessing. He opened his mouth to try and convince her to stay but no words came out. Despite standing only a foot away, she may as well have already moved to the farthest corner of the earth. 

“Don’t do this,” he choked out. 

His strangled voice only made it harder to keep herself from falling apart completely. She gripped the railing so hard her knuckles turned white to keep herself from turning and throwing herself into his arms. 

“I need you to leave.” She let out a shuddering breath she’d been holding in. “Please.”

He felt useless standing near but not allowed to do anything to help or comfort her. Her demands for him to leave didn’t make sense considering she finally admitted she loved him. Her adamant refusal to continue their relationship stung. He could only hope she didn’t truly mean forever, but somehow, he knew she did. If loving him wasn’t enough reason to stay, nothing would be. Unable to utter a goodbye he left with the next gust of wind.

After she no longer felt him behind her, she stopped trying to silence her tears and cried against the railing until her body heaved and she could barely breathe. Long after no more tears would fall, she remained out in the cold, her ragged breathing visible in the cold night air. Silent racking sobs continued to plague her until she felt dizzy and weak. Barely able to stand, she moved to the balcony door and fumbled with the latch, her hands frozen stiff. 

Vinegar Tom rubbed against her legs, but she ignored him and walked to her bathroom in a daze. She closed the bathroom door on her familiar not wanting to discuss what happened or be comforted. She drew a scalding bath and stripped out of her clothes. Entering the water burned her frozen limbs but she ignored the pain and sank below the water. Feeling empty and exhausted, she stayed under the water as long as she could before she came up gasping for air. With her thoughts never leaving him, she mindlessly picked up the bar of soap and washed.

When she stepped from the tub, she caught sight of her reflection. Her red-rimmed eyes stared back at her and the circles under her eyes looked like bruises. She didn’t know when she dropped the glamour covering them but the hollow look to her face matched how she felt.

She toweled off and changed into her black nightgown, despite the chill in her bones she didn’t bother with a warmer one. She stared at herself in the mirror dreading returning to the bedroom. Though her eyes stung from tears and exhaustion, the prospect of sleep held little comfort for her. The telltale pinpricks of new tears welling up started behind her eyes as she realized she would be sleeping alone. No longer able to look herself in the eye she turned off the light and left.

Whether she did it for punishment or comfort, she didn’t know but she lay down on what she now considered his side of the bed. The faint traces of his cologne lingered on the pillow and she closed her eyes, knowing sleep would never find her.

Once the scent of him left her endlessly reliving their fight on the balcony, she sat up and threw off the covers. Though it hurt her pride she needed him, something she never believed to be possible. She pulled on a dressing gown and stood in front of her mirror once more. Water streaks lined her cheeks and she ran her finger under her eyes to catch the tears she hadn’t noticed falling. Fighting her vanity, she didn’t put a glamour on. Bruises and love bites adorned her body and despite the long night she felt better seeing the physical reminders of his love. With one last glance, she apparated to his hotel room and prayed to Satan they could work this out.

By the flickering light of a dying fire, she found him nursing a drink at his desk. The bed remained undisturbed and he still wore his dress shirt. Unlike her, he hadn’t attempted to sleep. He locked eyes with her and finished his drink. Leaving his chair, he walked over to the decanter and refilled his glass.

“Can I pour you a drink, Zelda?” He asked icily.

She closed her eyes against his formality. Though she knew she deserved it, she would trade anything in the world to hear him call her dearest again.

“No thank you.” He stoppered the decanter but kept his back to her. Not bothering to drink from the now full whiskey glass, he leaned on the counter heavily. His shoulders sagged and his styled hair had become disheveled, likely from running his fingers through it.

Gingerly, she made her way over to him and ran her hands up his back and over his shoulders, feeling the tense muscles. As she pressed her body against him, he stiffened but didn’t respond. Glad he didn’t rebuke her outright she wrapped her arms around his waist. Finally, he put a hand on hers. 

“What made you come back?” He asked quietly. 

She didn’t answer his question at first, trying to decide what to tell him. He took a sip of the whiskey and she pressed her cheek against his back. 

“I should never have sent you away.” His glass hit the countertop, hard.

“Then why did you?” She couldn’t mistake the note of pain in his voice and she loosened her hold on him as he moved to turn around. When she looked up into his face, she immediately released him and drew back. A nearly invisible streak trailed down his cheek. Before this week she rarely saw him smile let alone cry. She hadn’t thought him capable of tears.

She panicked. “Faustus?” As she looked up into his pain-stricken face she continued to back away. “Faustus, I am so sorry.” He turned his head as though her words slapped him. 

Not knowing what else to do, she made to leave. He clearly needed space and she should not have come. “I can go.” He caught her hand as she turned away.

“That is the very last thing I want.” He sighed and pushed back a stray lock of hair. Still wanting to give him space she leaned up against the desk. Afraid to look him in the eye, she stared down at her bare feet.

He approached her gently and lifted her chin, her wide eyes stared up at him, searching his face. “I didn’t think I would ever see you again.” He leaned his forehead against hers, letting the smell of her soap fill his senses.

He closed his eyes and she brought a hand up to wipe the lone tear from his cheek. He turned his head and kissed her palm. 

“You were not supposed to see that.” She brushed his hair back and cupped his cheek. 

“I didn’t realize it would hurt you this much.” He leaned on the desk, one hand on either side of her, effectively trapping her there and putting them at eye level.

“You threw me out of your apartment after I told you I loved you. How did you think I would react? I thought you were leaving me again.”

“I know, I regretted it the instant I said it, but I didn’t want—” Tears sprang to her eyes knowing she’d hurt him in her attempt to protect herself. She looked up at the ceiling willing the tears not to fall— “I was trying to avoid you seeing me like this.” Her voice cracked and tears streamed down her face. His eyes softened and he pulled her to him by her waist. She cried into his neck while he held her tightly.

“It’s going to take more than a few tears to scare me away,” he murmured against her damp curls. Her tears quickly soaked his collar and he rubbed soothing circles on her back, grateful she allowed him to comfort her this time. Eventually, she stopped shaking in his arms and he loosened his hold on her. While she attempted to compose herself, she tried to fix his collar to no avail. 

When she gazed up at him, her eyes almost looked blue under the sheen of tears. He brushed her hair away from her face, trying to recommit it to memory. He cupped her face in his hands and gently kissed her crown.

She closed her eyes at his soft kiss, grateful his initial hostility didn't last. But the small detail of his marriage to Constance remained.

“What are we going to do?” She opened her eyes to see the ghost of a smile on his lips. Her brow furrowed in confusion. 

“That is the first time you’ve ever said we,” he said quietly. A tear slid down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb. 

“I don’t want to lose you,” she whispered.

“I will end my engagement with Constance one way or another.” He would make a deal with the Dark Lord if he needed to. “I am asking you to trust me.” He lifted her chin, the fear in her eyes visible in the firelight, only he didn’t know what she was more afraid of, losing him or having to trust someone again. He tucked her hair behind her ear and tilted her face up, unable to ignore her tight jaw. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He brought his lips to hers and kissed her slowly. Her eyes closed and she leaned into it. He pulled the knot out of her dressing gown and pulled her against him, never quickening his pace. As much he wanted to lift her onto the desk and continue to get lost in her, it had been a long day for them both. Especially for her.

“Stay the night?” After all the tears it was good to hear her half-hearted laugh.

She rested a hand on his chest, enjoying the comfortable warmth of his hands locked behind her lower back despite everything. Instead of answering she rested her cheek on his shoulder and allowed him to lead her towards the bed. She left her robe on the floor and slipped under the covers. He changed out of his tux and lay down next to her. Only the coals in the fire remained, leaving them in near darkness. After she settled against him, they both tried to sleep but neither seemed able to close their eyes. She glanced up and found him also still awake.

“I should have told you sooner. That I can’t—” She didn’t finish her sentence 

“I wouldn’t have mattered to me, even then.” After the things they had been through it was no surprise she hadn’t trusted he would stay if she told him. Though he wished she’d given him the opportunity to prove he would still choose her. Though he knew it wouldn’t be an easy story to tell or to hear, he asked, “Will you tell me what happened? It’s okay if you can’t.” She put a hand on his chest and let out a breath.

“We were going to visit family, spend a few weeks in England and be home well before Hilda was due.” He nodded recalling she’d said as much a week ago. “But we ended up staying there for a few years…” She trailed off, lost in her memories. While he waited for her to continue, he lightly ran his fingers down her back in encouragement.

The rest of her story came out slowly, she’d never told it to anyone, and it was a difficult one to tell. “I was riding with Edward and my father when my horse spooked and threw me. It had happened before but this time he kicked me on the way down and shattered my pelvic bone.” He stiffened under her as he winced. 

“The coven’s doctors were able to re-form it and reattach the ligaments and tendons. However, the muscle they needed to leave, and let it heal itself with time. I was young and everyone believed I would make a full recovery. That as I grew everything would develop normally and it would be like the accident never happened.”

“After a few years it seemed like they were right, everything seemed normal. Until I eventually found out I would never carry a child of my own. Too much internal scar tissue.” She gave a shuddering sigh. “I know I should be grateful I can even walk let alone dance but…” She couldn’t finish her sentence and the silence stretched on. He chose his question carefully, not wanting to make this any harder on her than it already was.

“When did this happen?” 

“I was seven or eight at the time and Edward was twelve. I spent the rest of the year confined to a bed.” She shifted closer to him. “Edward stayed with me, every day. Even when the other children went out to play, he would stay in and we would play games or he would make up stories, anything to make me laugh.” She blinked away a tear.

“The next spring, I could use a wheelchair, and we would go out to the gardens. He patiently taught me Latin, and the small amount of German our mother taught him. Our parents joined us on occasion but for the most part, they were preoccupied with Hilda, so typically it was just the two of us. We were inseparable after that trip.” Unknowingly she tightened her hold on him while she allowed herself to relive the old memories of her brother she normally kept locked away in the back of her mind.

He remembered the tight bond between Edward and his sister from their Academy days. Faustus had been jealous of all the time Edward spent with her. He felt a few tears fall onto his chest and he pulled her to him and held her tightly. “I miss that Edward,” she whispered.

He did too if he was honest. Faustus began tutoring him during his final year at the Academy when the Spellmans lost their parents. When they died, it hit Edward hard and he became a different person overnight. He became callous, arrogant, and controlling. Especially towards his family. Though Faustus never believed he would reach the point where he would become violent and hit Zelda. Remembering Edward laid a hand on her sent rage coursing through him, but he forced himself to swallow it, knowing she needed him to. He would deal with Edward later. Her quiet tears eventually subsided but she made no effort to move off him. 

Not knowing what to say he apologized.

“It’s not your fault he turned into the man he did.” He conceded the point, though if he’d told her how he felt about her sooner he might have been able to get her away from Edward well before she was forced to flee from him. Though calmer she still seemed caught in her past. 

Realizing they were going to be up for a while longer he waved a hand and the fire relit itself bathing the room in a warm glow. 

“How long have you kept this a secret?” He asked gently, wanting to know how long she’d suffered in silence, knowing she couldn’t have a family of her own after hers fell apart.

“I found out a few years after I graduated from the Academy.” They’d been seeing each other in secret then, but it hadn’t been serious. They’d both had other partners at the time, and she’d seen no reason to tell him. 

“I almost told you once,” she admitted. “But once I worked up the nerve to and returned you had already moved on and were engaged to another witch.” Back then she rarely visited without seeing him. He knew she only came home for Hilda’s visits, but she usually spent her nights with him. The last time she’d been in Greendale before she disappeared, she hadn't. He hadn’t known she'd visited until weeks after she left. Six months later he’d received her letter.

At the time it had been the longest he’d gone without hearing from her. Usually, they at least spoke through mirrors or she would send him letters with no return address and vague updates about her life. When the weeks stretched into months with no word from her, he’d found himself missing her company and not just in bed. They confided in one another and he’d come to look forward to their discussions over games of chess. Their casual affair had turned into something else without either of them realizing it. She was the only person he allowed into his life and he wanted to make their relationship official. He’d been ready to marry her, but she dashed those plans when she disappeared.

“That was right before you left Greendale permanently.” 

She nodded, her eyes misty once more. After her failed attempt to see Faustus, she’d returned to her childhood house. Edward had thrown Faustus’ pending nuptials in her face and even tried to use it to leverage her into marrying. After he slapped her, she’d cut all ties to Greendale and left her old life behind, including Faustus.

“But now you know.”

He kissed her hair. “Thank you for telling me, I’m sorry I dredged up the past.”

She shrugged and tried to play it off despite crying in his arms moments before. He knew why she fled but he wished she’d come to find him anyway so he could have explained his engagement was a farce.

When her letter arrived confirming she would not be returning. He tried to find her, but it was too late. No one in Greendale knew how to find her. Ultimately, he tracked down Hilda in England, but Zelda had already left for France. 

“It was harder than I thought it would be,” she whispered. “Leaving you.” He ran a hand down her arm, the things he did after she left were proof enough how hard it was to be left. They fell into silence, each lost in their own history. Eventually, she took a deep breath and continued.

“Leaving Greendale kept me away from Edward but no matter where I went my thoughts returned home.” _To you,_ but she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. “Eventually I visited Hilda, it helped to see her. It gave me some sense of purpose but even that eventually faded.”

“Was that when you enlisted?”

“More or less. On the front lines, I didn’t have the time or energy to think about anything but the soldiers on my operating table. But even wars can only last so long.”

“I’m glad it ended before something happened to you. I don’t know what I would have done if your letter turned into the last time I heard from you.” She looked up at him, she’d left the note with Hilda and told her to mail it after she deployed. 

“I tried to find you, you know.” She lifted her head and looked up at him surprised. “Hilda never told you?” Zelda shook her head, unsure why Hilda would have kept that from her, then again she had been in rough shape after the war. It might have been Hilda’s way of protecting her older sister. When she wrote the letter saying she wouldn’t be returning to Greendale, she’d broken off their relationship. She’d fallen for him and that broke their rules, it became too hard to see him casually when she wanted more. While she wrote it she never imagined he would try and find her let alone go all the way to England.

“I’m not proud of the things I did after I returned from England without you.” He hesitated before continuing, but it seemed only fair. They both had large parts of their lives they’d hidden from not only each other but the rest of the world too. 

“I tried to get over you, drown out any thought of you with whiskey, women, and work.” He sighed and looked away from her. “I tried to forget you,” he said quietly. Uncomfortable with his past he let go of her, so she could leave if she wanted to. Instead of moving off as he expected, she stayed and looked up at him. “But nothing worked. I looked for you in every other witch. None of them compared. Finally, I realized how pointless it was and stopped trying.” 

He gazed down at her and ran his fingers through her hair. “It had been years since you left and yet…” She gave him a small encouraging smile, surprised to hear him open up. They used to talk often but neither of them liked emotional conversations and avoided them at all costs. She hadn’t even known this side of Faustus existed. “…And yet I still missed you as badly as the day you left.” 

No smirk appeared on her face at his confession and he thanked Satan for that. She shifted on his chest and he managed to suppress a grunt as she used him as leverage, though he forgot the discomfort when her lips met his. 

When she ended the kiss, he opened his eyes to her smiling down at him. “I confess this is not the reaction I expected.” 

She bit her lip and broke eye contact with him. “I tried to forget you too. The real reason I joined the war was to keep myself from thinking about you and running back to Greendale.”

“Neither of us seemed to do a very good job of it.” She laid back down on him and nodded, glad he hadn’t been able to move on from the idea of them either. 

He sighed and returned to his story. “After I realized how futile replacing you was, I gave it all up. However, a year or so later my mistakes caught up with me and I found Prudence on my doorstep.”

“You never mentioned her.”

“I never had the chance to. It wasn’t something I wanted to put in a letter, not that I would have known where to send it if I did. When you showed up at my father’s door, I was just happy to see you alive. And the next morning you were gone by the time I woke up.” 

He put a hand on her lower back while she looked up at him intently. “Things here were too perfect for me to want to risk driving you away after I’d finally gotten you back.” She cupped his face in her hand. “But there you have it, the whole truth.”

“Thank you.” It meant more to her than he would ever know. She kissed him again, it started off sweet and gentle but once she deepened the kiss it grew more insistent. He held onto her waist as she came up onto her knees and straddled his chest. 

They separated with a soft popping sound. He raised his brows. “Wow, what was that for?”

“Consider it a delayed reaction to I love you.” He ran his hands down her sides and looked up at her.

“I much prefer that response over tears.” She snorted and he couldn’t hold a straight face. When she stifled a yawn, his face turned serious and he put a hand on her thigh. “You need to get some sleep, Zelda.”

She slid off him and curled up at his side as had become her habit. He wrapped an arm around her and with a wave of his hand the fire extinguished itself. 

“Goodnight, dearest.” In the darkness, she smiled at the moniker. She shifted and put her arm across his chest.

“Why do you call me that?”

“Call you what?”

“Dearest.”

“Well, it accurately describes my feelings for you, doesn’t it? I would have thought it obvious.”

“But you have been calling me that for decades.”

“And?” She opened her eyes in realization.

“All this time?” 

“Yes.” They’d barely graduated from the Academy when he first called her dearest in jest. She hadn’t believed there was any truth behind the pet name. His breathing deepened, and the even rise and fall of his chest under her soothed her and sleep finally caught up to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is late but this chapter proved difficult to write. Hopefully, Faustus seemed at least believable, I refuse to believe he is as one dimensional as the show would have us believe. Curious to know what you guys think about him, and this chapter. Really the whole story. I love reading your comments and theories.


	18. Chapter 18

She woke up slowly still amazed he stayed after learning the secret she’d kept for nearly seventy years. The arm draped over her side kept her close and she traced a finger along his jaw. 

“Faustus,” she cooed. He grumbled but remained asleep. “Faustus, wake up.”

He inhaled deeply and his hand tightened on her hip. Her flowery soap smell brought a smile to his face and he opened his eyes to her bright ones inches from his.

“You’re still here,” he said, his voice still thick with sleep.

“I am.” He looked exhausted and she felt bad for waking him but after everything that happened, she didn’t want him to wake up in an empty bed.

He moved closer and closed his eyes again. “Then let’s go back to sleep.” 

“I need to leave for the theatre soon.”

Despite her words, she remained intertwined with him under the covers and he made no move to release her. As tempting as closing her eyes again sounded, she didn’t feel the pressing exhaustion she should have after only a few hours sleep. Even with her lingering embarrassment over crying in front of him, she felt lighter than she had in years. 

“Will I see you tonight?” He asked.

“I think that can be arranged.”

“You think?” She gave him a coy smile and he shook his head. “How long is rehearsal today?”

“All day. There are two performances, one this afternoon and another tonight.”

He thought for a moment trying to remember his schedule. “No lunch break?”

“Unlikely, I will call you if by some Satan given miracle we do.”

He rubbed at his tired eyes. “When is the evening performance?”

“Early, it begins at 6:30.”

“Dinner then?” She didn’t miss the hopeful note in his voice.

“I will need it.” She gave him a smile and moved to pull the covers off. As she moved to get up he caught her and kissed her.

“Thank you for waking me before you left.” She gave him another kiss and allowed herself to indulge in it a little before she finally put a hand to his chest to stop herself.

“I really need to go now.” He relinquished his hold on her with only a weak complaint and rolled over. When she returned from pulling her hair up and dressing, he’d already fallen back asleep. As she pulled on a pair of heels, she realized she forgot to bring a jacket with her. Instead of wasting time and energy to get hers, she stole one of his and walked out of the room.

As she stood at the curbside attempting to hail a cab, Gerald pulled up beside her. Seeing no taxis in sight she stopped to say hello. “He’s still asleep.”

He gave her a warm smile. “I’m here for you Miss. He said you needed a ride to the theatre.” She bit her lip to suppress a smile as she looked up at the windows on the hotel’s top floor. Gerald stepped out of the car and opened the rear door for her, holding out a hand to help her in. She settled into the backseat, grateful she didn’t have to deal with one of the city’s chatty cab drivers. They sped off through the early morning traffic towards Broadway.

When she walked into her dressing room, the flower he’d given her after the show lay wilting on her vanity. The night before felt like some kind of awful nightmare, the dying flower remained as the only reminder it had been real. She picked it up gingerly and twirled it in her fingers. The browning petals still gave off their fragrant perfume. Glancing at the vase of the other flowers, she sat at her vanity and checked the time. Thankfully her other cast members weren’t due in yet. She licked her finger and drew a circle on her mirror. It didn’t take long for Hilda’s face to appear.

“Zels!” She blinked at her sister's cheery greeting before offering her a small tired smile.

“Hello, Hilda. I don’t have much time but I was wondering if you knew a spell that would revive this?” She held up the flower and watched her sister scrutinize the wilted bloom.

It was an odd request to hear from Zelda. She didn’t consider her sister sentimental about much of anything let alone something as temporary as a cut flower. But Zelda never asked for her help and she wanted to assist in any way she could.

“Let me see…” Hilda left the mirror and returned holding a bound notebook, which she started to leaf through. They strung a few spells together and the flower returned to its pearly white color.

“Thank you, Hildie.” Zelda offered her a rare smile and looked visibly relieved. Hilda looked at the flower again and this time recognized it. It brought a cheerful smile to her face, to her knowledge there was only one person who knew to give Zelda those particular blooms. 

“Did Faustus give you that?” The blush on her sister’s cheeks confirmed her suspicion before Zelda’s nod. At least it answered the question of why she wanted to keep it so badly.

Zelda stepped out of the frame to put it with the others and also tried to will herself to calm down. Hilda already knew about him. She’d already told her he came to a show in her last letter, but something still kept her from telling Hilda the true nature of their relationship. And though Hilda had never voiced any opposition to Faustus, Zelda still worried about what she would think. She stopped fiddling with the flowers and took a deep breath before she sat back down at her mirror.

“Is he still in New York?” Zelda’s blush deepened though she tried to hide it.

“For now, yes.” Hilda smiled but Zelda missed it, too busy focusing on tying her pointe shoes. As much as she wanted to press her sister for more details, she knew it wouldn’t get her anywhere. Zelda never discussed him. But his continued presence explained why she hadn’t heard from her sister recently. It might also explain the dark circles under Zelda’s eyes, but she didn’t want to think on that aspect of her sister’s life more than she needed too.

“Are you feeling alright? You look tired.” Unable to avoid her sister’s assessing stare any longer Zelda looked up.

“I’m fine, Hilda. The show is taking its toll on everyone, I will be the only one who doesn’t look in dire need of a break when rehearsal begins.” As she spoke, she slipped a glamour on and the visible tiredness on her face disappeared. When the stern look didn’t leave Hilda’s face, she conceded defeat. “I promise I will try and get more sleep.” She rolled her eyes but knew Hilda only worried because she cared. Even if her protectiveness often became overbearing.

“If nothing else I will have a chance to recover during the break this weekend.” Hilda perked up.

“Are you still coming to London at the end of the week?”

“Of course.” Zelda glanced at the clock. “I need to go now, see you soon.”

“Good luck. Break a leg!” Hilda called after her but her sister had already disappeared from the mirror.

\---

The afternoon show finished and she stood on stage with the cast catching her breath while applause filled her ears. As expected, no ranunculus flower fell amongst the roses. She returned to her dressing room and began to undress. A knock at her door interrupted her and she tied a robe around herself before she opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw Tom.

“Ms. Spellman, we are going to break for the afternoon. Randall and a few of the other dancers are complaining of some tightness and need to rest before this evening.” The small man looked at her expectantly though she couldn’t figure out why.

“Will they be fully recovered by tonight?” 

Tom waved off her question. “Of course.” He paused and peered up at her through his small glasses. “How are you feeling?

“Fine.”

“No tightness or strained muscles?”

She almost rolled her eyes, now knowing what he wanted. At her advancing age, she should be as fatigued as her younger castmates, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of admitting anything. Besides her legs were fine and her lack of sleep had yet to reach a level where it affected her performance. “None. Would you like me to run through the show with Randall’s understudy?” 

His glasses magnified his wide eyes, and his surprised face bordered on comical. “No, no, that won’t be necessary, Ms. Spellman. As long as you are prepared for tonight, your afternoon is yours. The other dancers have already left.”

“Thank you, Tom.” He hurried off and she shook her head at the strange man. 

After she closed the door on him, she thought about calling Faustus, but a yawn reminded her of her promise to Hilda. Then again, she could always surprise him at his office on her way home. She smiled in the mirror as she reapplied her lipstick. Considering they’d only parted a few hours ago, she didn’t know why the thought of seeing him made her stomach flutter but she did her best to ignore it while she searched through the clothes in her dresser. She pulled out a dress she rarely wore, he'd always liked her in blue. And if she happened to run into Margaret, well it wasn’t her fault she looked good enough to eat.

She took a cab to his office and rode up in an empty elevator. In retrospect, she probably should have called to make sure he hadn’t left already but it was too late now. She walked past the rows of desks and dull faces until she made her way to the offices lined up on the far wall.

A pretty little brunette she presumed was Margaret sat at a desk typing. The girl looked up and gawked at her. Zelda’s smile never reached her eyes. “I’m here to see Faustus Blackwood.” The secretary blinked and hurriedly ran her finger down an appointment list. Zelda leaned over and put a hand on the desk. “He isn’t expecting me.” She stared the girl down, pleased to see a flicker of fear in her eyes. Finally, the poor girl stood and motioned down the hallway.

“Right this way, Miss—”

“Spellman,” Zelda finished. The girl gave her an eager smile, and she almost felt bad for intimidating her. Almost.

They came to the end of a hallway to a door with Blackwood stamped on a nameplate under a frosted glass window. Margaret knocked once before she opened it.

“Yes, Margaret?” He asked, without looking up from a thick folder.

“Sir, there is a Ms. Spellman to see you.” At her name, he looked up and the tiniest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Small enough Margaret couldn’t see it but Zelda knew better. He set his pen down and didn’t take his eyes off her as he spoke.

“That will be all Margaret, thank you.” As the secretary turned to leave, he stopped her, “And hold my calls.” She nodded and closed the door behind her.

After the latch clicked, he smirked. “Nice coat, dearest.” She nonchalantly pulled the coat open further while she walked toward him. Enjoying the way his eyes raked over her and his gaze lingered on the dress’ low neckline. His eyes flicked up to meet her wicked smile.

“You look positively lethal, Zelda. I suppose I should thank you I still have a secretary.” She stepped behind his desk and he turned his chair to face her.

“She’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she?” He raised a brow. 

“Don’t tell me you are jealous of a mortal.” She slid onto his lap, her knees straddling him. 

“Jealous? No.” She tugged on his collar and placed a biting kiss on his neck. “Possessive? Maybe a little.”

“A little?” He gripped her hips while she continued to kiss his neck, and knew he would have bruises and lipstick smeared there for the rest of the day. Not that he minded. It might be the only good thing to ever happen in that chair.

His head sank back against the leather and his thumbs rubbed circles on her hip bones. “I thought you had rehearsal all afternoon?” She sat up straight.

“It appears my costar can no longer keep up. Tom gave everyone the afternoon off to rest.” He placed his lips on her exposed collar bone.

“And why aren’t you at home resting?” He asked against her skin.

“Your office is on my way home.”

“My office is in the opposite direction of your apartment.” She raised a brow.

“Who said anything about my apartment?”

“Why, Ms. Spellman, are you inviting yourself to a bachelor’s hotel room?” She hummed as his lips moved lower towards the dress’ neckline.

She ran her fingers through his stiff hair. “He’s hardly a bachelor, he told me he was engaged last night.” He lifted his head and she kissed him to take the edge off the joke. Though still not comfortable with the precarious state of their relationship, she said she would try and trust he would see them out of it. “I am just here to entice you to come with me,” she said as innocently as she could while perched on his lap with his hands wandering lower down her back with every word.

“I think that can be arranged.” He pulled her up onto her knees, and she leaned down to kiss him, rougher than before. He was about to send a spell to lock the door when one of his business partners barged in. They both turned at the interruption, but he kept a hand firmly on her backside in case she got any ideas about putting a more appropriate distance between them. It was time his partners learned to knock. He raised a brow, unimpressed by the man’s wide eyes and gaping mouth.

“Can I help you, Mr. Marcone?” He asked, annoyed. Mitch gestured vaguely at the stack of papers in his hand.

“I, uh, I have the earnings reports you asked for,” he stammered out, trying to focus on Faustus but his eyes kept sliding back to Zelda. 

“As you can see, I am in the middle of a very important meeting,” Faustus deadpanned. 

“Right. Yes. Of course. Sorry, sir.” She hid her smirk against his neck and struggled to keep herself from kissing along his jaw. Though the mortal’s opinion of her didn’t matter and she did love whenever he blatantly flaunted his authority… Her thoughts trailed off and she threw caution to the wind.

He hid his surprise as she gave in to the temptation and started marking up the side of his neck again. Mitch turned to go and Faustus refocused on her, but the imbecile paused at the door and turned back.

“What?” Faustus snapped.

“I also have those documents you wanted our signatures on.” Zelda pulled back and saw a dangerous glimmer enter Faustus’ cold eyes.

“And were there any problems?”

“No. They are all signed.” Faustus pursed his lips and gave her an apologetic glance. The marks on his neck vanished with a whispered incantation and she stood to lean on his desk.

“Give them to me,” he ordered. Mitch handed over the folder. This time he kept his eyes averted and didn’t look Zelda’s way. Faustus dismissed him and he immediately fled. Faustus snapped his fingers and the door slammed and locked.

“What are those?” She asked.

“The beginning of the end to all this.” He gestured around his office. “They all just unknowingly signed their shares of the company over to me. It’s a good thing they never learned to read the fine print.” She smiled at his cruelty.

“What are you going to do?”

“Sell it off to the highest bidder. My father can’t force me to work somewhere he doesn’t own.” He leafed through the papers counting the signatures. “And I am now the majority shareholder.” He tossed the folder onto his desk and sat back in his chair pleased with himself.

“A company this large? You’ll be richer than Midas.”

“I already am.” 

“Women flock to money, you know.” He snorted and pulled her back to him.

“The only woman I am interested in already has more money than she could spend in a lifetime—” His hand snaked up her skirt— “Even with her expensive taste in lingerie.”

She rolled her eyes playfully though she failed to hide the smile on her face. “Whatever it takes to get you into bed. Speaking of…” He withdrew his hands from her dress.

“Go. Give me ten minutes.” She gave him a quick kiss.

“Make it five.” And then she apparated away.

He locked the signed documents in a drawer and took the paper he’d been drafting when Zelda arrived with him to find Margaret. She sat at her desk and he handed her the missive.

“I need you to make five copies of this statement.” She skimmed it and looked up, her eyes wide. “As always tell no one about it and lock them in your desk when you are done. Then you are free to go for the rest of the day.” She nodded mutely and started typing. The satisfying clack of her typewriter keys followed him back to his office. They rang with a pleasant note of finality. He locked his office door and teleported to the hotel.

She’d just finished pulling on her discarded dressing gown from the night before when warm arms encircled her, preventing her from tying it closed. “I don’t recall sleeping having a dress code.” His breath tickled the back of her neck.

“It’s so you behave.”

“You think a little silk will stop me?” She rolled her eyes and turned in his arms. He flashed a sly smile. She reached up and untied her hair. 

“You’re the one who dictated we were sleeping instead of spending the afternoon doing more exciting activities.”

“As much as I enjoy your line of thinking, you aren’t the only one in need of sleep.” He kissed her cheek. “There is plenty of time to enjoy those activities later. For now, you need the rest.” He let her go and started pulling off his tie. “And to take off your glamour.” She pursed her lips but dropped the spell.

Even though he knew what to expect, it still surprised him when she took it off. She needed much more than a few stolen hours of sleep. His hands stilled on the buttons of his dress shirt and he gently took her hand. “I meant to ask this morning, but are you all right after last night?”

She sighed and rubbed out some of the tension in her shoulders with her free hand. “Yes. Though I confess I will feel better about it when you have the contract back.” He searched her eyes looking for any indication she was lying, he didn’t find one but that didn’t mean she wasn’t. 

“Would you tell me if you weren’t?”

She looked back up at him. “Yes.” 

“I am sorry for this mess.” She put a hand on his chest.

“We’ll figure it out.” He released her hand and she began undoing the rest of the buttons on his shirt. He helped her finish undressing him until his undershirt and dress shirt lay discarded alongside her dress.

While they were climbing into bed, she let her robe fall to the floor. “Did you see Prudence today?” He lay back and she tucked herself along his side. He readjusted slightly so she was more comfortably resting on his shoulder and he could wrap his arm around her.

“I went home this morning and made her breakfast.”

“When?” 

“Not long after you left.” He’d dozed off after he called Gerald but he’d grown accustomed to sharing the bed and he hadn’t been able to sleep soundly after she got up. He gently ran his fingers through her hair and she put an arm around his middle.

“Will you tell me about her?” 

“Prudence?” She nodded

“She’ll be four this summer. She’s brilliant and stubborn,” he chuckled lightly, “Though I imagine all parents say that about their children. She is almost too smart for her own good though and often finds herself in trouble because of it. Especially with her nanny.” He smiled recalling some of the frantic summonses he’d received courtesy of Prudence’s antics.

“Whenever I am home on the weekends, she wakes me up at the crack of dawn to make her breakfast. She will do just about anything for strawberry pancakes, you two have that in common.” He winked at her and she shook her head but couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.

“I am never going to live that night down, am I?”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” He kissed her head.

“She loves reading and making up wild stories I can rarely follow. And flowers, she loves flowers. When it's safe to, I let her help in the greenhouse, which usually results in me having to re-pot half the plants. But she tries.” 

Zelda looked up at him and his eyes were far away, at home.

“She’s more forgiving than I deserve. No matter how long I’m gone she is always happy to see me when I walk through the door.” Zelda smiled up at him, a little surprised at how well he seemed to know his daughter. His eyes blinked back into focus and he returned her soft smile.

“She’s lucky to have you.”

“I think it’s the other way around, I’m lucky to have her.” Zelda lifted her head, mulling over something.

“What is it?” She looked at him but still rubbed her fingers together. “Zelda, what?”

“Can I meet her?”

“Of course.” He propped himself up and kissed her, glad she seemed interested in Prudence. He’d been worried about her reaction but it looked like it might not be an issue like he thought it would be. She relaxed against him again and the smile on her face didn’t fade as she fell asleep. He shut his eyes and sleep caught up with him as well.


	19. Chapter 19

For once he woke up before her, though considering how tired she’d been he wasn’t surprised. The overcast day hid the late afternoon sun and he glanced at the clock. Thankfully she didn’t need to be up for a while yet. Unwilling to risk waking her, he resigned himself to staying in bed though he smiled as he looked down at her sleeping on his shoulder. Careful so as not to wake her he reached for his book on the nightstand. Putting his arm back around her. He propped the book open on his leg to review more material for his High Priest examinations. As he read, he scratched notes in the margins of the old grimoire.

While he studied, she shifted in her sleep and curled her arm around his chest, effectively wrapping herself around him. He allowed himself a small smile. At least now he knew how they always ended up tangled together come morning. Briefly forgetting about his studies, he brushed a lock of hair away from her face. He gazed down at her softened features, she looked at peace in a way she never did when she was awake. As hard as it had been to see her fall apart the night before, things between them felt more secure and more real now that fewer secrets stood between them. The only thing keeping her from him now was Edward.

Faustus knew her brother continued to be a haunting presence for her, always looking over her shoulder. Though she’d relaxed and become more receptive to physical affection since their discussion he still noticed the split second of hesitation whenever he touched her or kissed her in public. Satan willing, he would be able to resolve the issue of Edward shortly. First, he needed his father to hurry up and finish the contract so he could nullify it and begin planning a future. This time with her in it. After he dealt with the contract, he could openly pursue her. His father be damned.

He shifted his hold on her and refocused on the tome. As he worked through a long-complicated spell he mentally quizzed himself on it making sure he still had it committed to memory. At this point the studying was more out of habit than out of need, all the information in this text and the dozens of others used to prepare for the High Priest position he’d learned long ago. At least the extra practice allowed him to add new spells and information into his lectures. 

He marked a few pages and added some notes into the spell to make it easier to teach, but closed the book when she began to stir. She stretched out and then laid back against him.

“This break cannot come soon enough,” she yawned.

Glad she didn’t immediately get up, he lightly ran his fingers along her side. “Break?”

“The show has the weekend off. Our final performance is on Thursday and we don’t resume until Tuesday.”

“Tom is being generous.”

“No. Tom is protecting his interests. Without a break, injuries will start cropping up and as our final performances are next week, he needs us at our best.” She moved off of him and propped herself up on an elbow so she could look at him and gauge his response to her next bit of news. “I am spending the break in London with Hilda.”

To her surprise, he didn’t react at all. “When are you leaving?” He asked evenly.

“Friday morning. I return on Sunday.” 

Though he knew how important seeing her sister was to her he wasn’t thrilled to lose her even for a few days. Though for the first time since he met her, she told her she would be coming back.

He leaned over and kissed her shoulder. “Try not to join a war while you are over there.”

She snorted and rolled onto her back. “Tom would show up on the front lines to drag me back.”

He moved over her and she ran her fingers through his hair. “Tom would be the least of your worries.” He nipped at her collar bone. “If I don’t see you on Sunday evening I am coming after you myself.”

“Mmmm… Tempting.” He shook his head at her teasing smile.

“You will be coming back in chains, dearest,” he growled in her ear.

“You keep making this proposition more enticing.” Her eyelashes lowered coquettishly.

“As much I would enjoy telling you all the depraved and sinful things, I am going to do to you if you are anything less than punctual this Sunday, you are going to be late for your show.” She turned to look at the clock and groaned, she wanted more time. As he moved to get off her, she arched up and stole a kiss before standing to dress.

“Are we still going to dinner afterward?”

“Yes, and I have something planned so don’t be late.” She paused in pinning up her hair and gave him a mocking smirk.

“Lord Blackwood, are you taking me on a date?” He rolled his eyes at her and ignored her question.

“Must be something awfully special…” She led, hoping he would divulge some details. He gave her a knowing smile and kissed her.

“See you after the show, dearest.” Her eyes narrowed before she left him to get ready for the show.

Instead of teleporting straight to the theatre she reappeared in her closet at home. Whenever he decided to be secretive about his plans, they usually entailed a dinner reservation somewhere in Europe and bottles of wine worth more than most cars. The dresses in her dressing room were simply not up to the task. She pulled out a long evening gown she’d purchased years ago in France but hadn’t found the opportunity to wear. As she pulled out shoes and her favorite fur stole, she reminisced on their last dinner in Paris. Satisfied with her choice she returned to her dressing room to reapply her stage makeup and get dressed for Act I. 

Faustus took his place in his box to again watch the show. The lights of the theatre dimmed and the last of the masses below him settled into their seats while the orchestra music started. He refocused on the stage and the curtains opened.

Despite seeing it numerous times he found he only came to appreciate it more each time. The way Zelda performed the same routine with a militant precision and somehow still made it feel new every time kept him returning nearly every night instead of simply picking her up after the show. And he never tired of watching her unfailing grace when she danced.

In one of the final lifts of the show, Randall tossed her higher than he had on previous nights. Faustus tensed up and gripped his cane until her toes were safely back on the stage floor. He let out the breath he’d been holding and mentally chided himself for doubting her, she’d never needed his protection and even though she now called herself his that hadn’t changed. Shaking his head at his foolishness he tried to refocus on the show. 

The assassin of the play crept up on the dancing duo and theatrically stabbed Randall, leaving Zelda to tumble gracefully back to center stage. Only the spotlight on her remained as the rest of the stage went dark for her show-stopping solo. He summoned a flower to his hand and toyed with the stem as he watched the audience from his elevated perch, still amazed at how easily she spellbound them. 

Though he could have imagined it, the applause seemed to be louder with each show. He floated the flower to her feet while he clapped with the rest of the theatergoers. After the curtain closed around the retreating dancers, he left the box and joined the flow of people heading towards the grand entrance hall of the theatre. 

While he collected his coat, he heard all of the other patrons singing her praises. Even though they were mortals he knew how passionately she cared about the show and how much effort she put in to make it perfect. The was a brief moment of pride that hit him as he heard the mortals talking about the show and her beautiful singing voice. Once he collected his coat he moved to the far wall of the gilded hall and leaned against it. While he waited for her, he indulged in some additional eavesdropping to keep himself from worrying about dinner. Though he couldn’t stop himself from silently praying to the Dark Lord it would go well.

She put the last finishing touches on her makeup before stepping back to look at herself in the mirror. She repined one errant strand of hair before wrapping the long white stole around her shoulders and exiting her dressing room. The lobby remained crowded with patrons, their voices echoing off the gilded walls and marble floor. Finally, she spotted him standing off to the side and she slowed her walk to admire him in his trim suit. As she moved through the hall she watched and waited for him to notice her. When he finally did his reaction was reward enough for her efforts. He didn’t often lose his composure and seeing his wide eyes put a svelte smirk on her lips as she closed the distance between them.

“Satan in Hell, Zelda…” He muttered under his breath as she walked towards him. The long evening dress hung from her shoulders and the fine silk flowed around her legs like water as she moved. The sapphires dripping from her neck and ears matched the dress’s deep hue and in the light of the large chandelier, he saw a few dainty ones sparkling in her coifed hair as well. He swallowed hard as she came to stand in front of him. He took her hand and stood back just to look at her.

“Are you trying to kill me?” She laughed lightly and moved closer to him than strictly appropriate around mortals.

“Think of it this way, if you survive dinner you can take it off me,” she purred in his ear. Her intoxicating perfume wafted around them and he closed his eyes, trying to focus and remember how important dinner was. 

To justify her proximity, she adjusted his bowtie and smirked when he groaned at the brief contact. When he opened his eyes, he caught more than a few wandering eyes admiring her from behind. His face darkened and rage replaced his lust. Forgetting the rules of propriety when dealing with mortals, he put a hand on her lower back and forcefully pulled her against him while he glowered at the other men. Some looked away, others did not.

While she didn’t mind his territorial claim over her, she also knew how dangerous he could be when he thought he was being challenged. Particularly in regards to her. When magic began sparking around them, she knew she needed to get involved or she would have a lot of dead mortals to explain. 

“Faustus,” she cooed, trying to draw his attention back to her.

_She was his, how dare they look at her._

“Faustus?” She repeated but his expression never changed. The hand on her back held her tightly against him while the other dug into her hip painfully.

“Faustus, darling.” She reached up and guided his chin down so he would look at her again. The fury in his eyes didn’t dissipate.

“Ignore them.”

“But, Zelda—”

“Ignore them,” she said forcefully. “They don’t matter. They are insignificant mortals.”

“But the way they look at you—”

“—Is exactly how you look at me.”

“I do not—” She raised a brow.

“You looked ready to undress me right here in front of them a moment ago. You do.” His eyes flicked back over her shoulder. 

“Look at me when I am talking to you, Faustus.” Her stern command brought his attention back. “I wore this so you wouldn’t be able to keep your eyes off of me, don’t tell me I’ve failed.” 

“Zelda, it's not like that.” He looked back at her and though he didn’t release her, his grip loosened. “You show up looking like, well that, and then every man with a pulse decides they have the right to look at you any way they want to.” As he spoke his gaze drifted away from her again. She cleared her throat and his eyes snapped back to her.

“Looking like what exactly?” She asked innocently, still trying to get his mind to refocus on something other than the mortals around them.

“My dear there are no words to describe how beautiful you look tonight. But you already know that.” She did, but her cheeks still warmed hearing it from him. At least this time he continued to look at her. 

“Do I have your attention now?” 

“You always have my attention, Zee.” She raised a brow.

“Your full attention, Faustus.” He pursed his lips but nodded. “Good. I need you to forget about the mortals.” His expression darkened again. “You would never be able to hex them all.”

“You underestimate me, dearest,” he all but growled.

“I know you are capable of it—” She ran her fingers along his lapels and behind his neck as she looked up at him, “—I just won’t be able to keep my hands off you if you decide to show off like that.”

His jaw unclenched as he smirked. “My power-hungry little minx.” She gave him a simpering smile. “Don’t tell me you are still only using me for my position.” 

“I think we are well past that.” The rest of the anger disappeared from his face and he almost smiled. 

“Praise Satan.” He leaned down to kiss her but she stopped him, knowing they were still being watched. 

“Besides I never slept with you for your position. With you, it was about finding an equal.” 

“In that dress, you have no equal.” She rolled her eyes but didn’t quite manage to hide her smile. His smirk deepened at the blush creeping up from the dress’ scooped neckline. While he knew stroking her vanity never failed, it was hardly an empty platitude. Truly, she had no rival in anything. If women could become High Priest, he wouldn’t even be in contention. 

“You are an insufferable flirt, Lord Blackwood.” She averted her gaze as a blush colored her pale cheeks. He pulled her flush against him once more and she quickly glanced around, though no one seemed to be paying them any attention anymore.

“And yet I meant every word.” Suddenly his close proximity and the hand on her back no longer seemed as improper. This time when he bent to kiss her, she let him and wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her feet off the floor. 

When he set her back down on the ground, the sound of other conversations came back to her and she remembered they were still in the entrance hall of the theatre. She thanked Satan their break in decorum appeared to have gone unnoticed. 

“I thought we were ignoring the mortals,” he murmured in her ear while her head was turned.

“I didn’t think you were listening to me when I said that.”

“I was paying enough attention to you to hear you call me darling. That was new.” She silently cursed herself for letting that slip.

“I was trying to break through your possessive jealousy before you killed someone.” She didn’t meet his piercing eyes and instead stared at his tie.

He lifted her chin. “I didn’t say I minded.”

“Really?” She searched his eyes. 

“Really.” He kissed her softly and she melded against him. He didn’t let her go after and she smiled up at him.

“Well, _darling_ , you promised me dinner and I am ravenous. Where are you taking me?” He removed his hands from her back and offered her his arm.

“Telling you would ruin the surprise and where is the fun in that?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry for the unplanned hiatus, I needed to finish up my thesis and then I somehow ended up moving apartments three times in one week. However, my thesis is finished and I am back at school. It's a short update but I wanted to post something this weekend. I hope everyone had a good couple of weeks, missed you guys :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to ElizabethLucy for allowing me to use your brilliant idea of Zelda as a ballerina.
> 
> I would love to hear what you think, good or bad, and I hope you are having a wonderful day


End file.
